Health Update: Windy meat

BREAKING wind may be less malodorous if the consumption of meat and fatty acids is reduced, according to a new book from Australia. Wind Breaks, by Professor Terry Bolin, a gastroenterologist, and Rosemary Stanton, a nutritionist, points out that breaking wind is a perfectly normal human activity - the average male does it about 13 times a day and the female eight times. But meat and fatty acids are responsible for the smelliest gases.

Those who wish to cut down on flatulence are advised to try adding half a teaspoon of mustard seeds when cooking beans and pulses; reducing the cooking time of cauliflower, cabbage and other vegetables; avoiding drinking from cans and straws; and only eating fruit that is ripe.