My unscientific thought for the day. Over the years I have consistently cleaned up my diet to where I no longer eat any animal products, or any derivatives thereof, such as dairy, eggs or any products that may contain them, such as bread. Recently I stopped eating anything which has gone through any manner of processing. Some things came as a surprise. I have been eating oatmeal all my life and considering it healthy for me. But to get that kernel of oat into a flake requires altering the molecular structure of the kernel. This all came about one day as I was eating another of my favorites, a corn chip. According to the list of ingredients it contained Corn and Corn oil. That's it, no salt, nothing else. It occurred to me, this chip in no way resembles a kernel of corn. How can every physical aspect of something be changed beyond recognition and it remain the same nutritionally. It did not look like corn, smell like corn, feel like corn or even taste like fresh corn. And yet I am led to believe that it is the same. All that is left is the dead matter which has been processed to a point where essential nutrients have been stripped away.
The other surprise was, I produce a lot of gas. And I mean a lot. Mostly belching. Fortunately I live with a dog. It came to mind that in Greco-Roman days such practice was not only acceptable but encouraged. Other cultures also have differing attitudes about it. They are cultures where processed foods were not consumed. A diet of natural, unprocessed, wholesome foods will naturally produce gas. It has to. The process of living requires the consumption of three elements, solids, liquids and gas (air, as in breathing). It miraculously turns these into living matter, returning to the environment solids (feces), liquids (urine and sweat), and gas (breath, belching and flatulence). The gasses produced in the stomach have no way to escape except through the mouth. Similarly the gasses produced in the intestine have no way to escape except through the anus. People who do not operate in this way probably have digestive problems as I did.