Does anyone else find it really hard to hold it in? I mean, I did a huge workout today and my system is just roaring and I had to sit through a 2.5 hour movie on a first date. Talk about punishment. All I could think of was relieving myself. I swear by the end of it I could have filled a 5-gallon tank. How do you deal with or explain your abnormal gas?
My simplest explanation is that as a man, you are supposed to fart constantly and obnoxiously. Women somehow have the ability to never fart. Science has not yet explained it.
Okay, seriously, there are possibly numerous reasons why you are gassy a lot. I would guess that as a triathlete, you use Gu, Powerbars, and sport drinks of some variety quite frequently. What do these all have in common? Maltodextrin.
What is maltodextrin? It’s a complex carbohydrate that does not break down completely in your stomach. It gets into your intestines where it ferments, and then poot! You get gas, lots of it, and rather funky.
There are probably other dietary factors that contribute to your gas issues(eating lots of veggies), but it’s most likely maltodextrin.
Interesting factoid: I have never read anywhere in triathlon related books or magazines that maltodextrin causes gas, but every one of my brewing books mentions that maltodextrin, sometimes used as an adjunct to add body to beer, causes those prolific, nasty emissions we all know as “beer farts”.
Were you feeling stressed at all? I don’t know about you, but a first date could get me a little stressed. And when I get stressed…