What's that smell?

For anyone who fears too much information - skip this post. For everyone else who is eating healthy, this one's for you.

No one discusses this but eating healthy stinks. I don't mean the food, natural foods like veggies, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein are tasty and I love eating them. They give me boundless energy and I frequently wear people out. I mean, it literally stinks.

You know what I am talking about - intestinal gas. Anyone who eats - a high-fiber, high-protein cereal, followed by fruit for a snack, a salad and veggies for lunch, more fruit and fiber for the afternoon, whole grains, veggies and lean protein for dinner and more fruit for a bedtime snack - knows - your body can sometimes feel like it is melting down.

You puff up like a jelly fish right before it stings. Sometimes you feel so bloated that you think you'll explode. And sometimes you do just that. You have no choice, you have to release that putrid smelling stuff that has been created by your bowels in their attempt to digest your healthier lifestyle.

If you're like me, you try not to do it around anyone else. Especially at work or near your significant other. You save that thrill for in the car, curled up on the couch with the cats or (hopefully) while running down the street during a workout in open air.

Nobody says to you when you start getting healthy - "Hey, you should know, most American bodies aren't used to whole foods anymore, so your body may rebel." Rebel? Hell, I have (to take a geek moment) the entire Rebel Alliance in my intestines most days and I would lay you odds that the garbage compacter on the Death Star smelled better than I do.

So there you are, TMI. But I needed to be honest because I have had no fewer than five people who have made a lifestyle change in the past few months, come to me this week with this exact question. Yes, you will smell, Bean-o can help, but nothing can completely stop the gas from forming - and that stinks.

Yours in health, Kate