Dr. Oz on Health and Hygiene
Photo: George Burns/Harpo Studios
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The next time something silent but deadly assaults your nose, Dr. Oz says you shouldn't rush to blame the man in the room. On average, Dr. Oz says men and women both pass gas about 14 times a day.
While you can't control how many times you pass gas, Dr. Oz says you can control how it smells. "Only about 5 percent of what you pass really has an odor if you're eating normal foods," he says. “If you're going to have 30 grams of fiber—which you ought to—[if] you try to do it all at once, you're going to have a lot of gas and a lot of bloating, but it won't smell.”
While some meats may lead to strong-smelling gas, Dr. Oz says the worst offenders are synthetic and packaged food. "They have chemicals in them,” he says. “The bacteria that digest the food? The waste product of the bacteria is gas. And that's what you're passing out. And it doesn't smell so hot.”
While you can't control how many times you pass gas, Dr. Oz says you can control how it smells. "Only about 5 percent of what you pass really has an odor if you're eating normal foods," he says. “If you're going to have 30 grams of fiber—which you ought to—[if] you try to do it all at once, you're going to have a lot of gas and a lot of bloating, but it won't smell.”
While some meats may lead to strong-smelling gas, Dr. Oz says the worst offenders are synthetic and packaged food. "They have chemicals in them,” he says. “The bacteria that digest the food? The waste product of the bacteria is gas. And that's what you're passing out. And it doesn't smell so hot.”