It might not be a big deal to everyone, but there are certain scenarios in which flatulence avoidance is very important. A job interview, say. Or a first date. (Or second date. Any of the first ten dates, maybe more.)
One way to avoid any embarrassing situations is to know which foods tend to be worse for you. Sure, the obvious greasy candidates are bad for everyone, but some people have different triggers. An Irish start-up has come up with a solution: a sort of breathalyzer for gas, if you will. Here are the details from VentureBeat:
FoodMarble’s Aire is a breathalyzer-like device that you blow into for a few seconds. It captures the presence of gas related to fermented foods — or those that aren’t digesting well in your large intestine — on your breath. Then it gives you a score of 1 to 100, rating your digestive comfort at the moment.
If you take a test every 15 minutes or so, you can track the period of maximum discomfort, and then through a process of elimination you can figure out what makes you feel bad, said Aonghus Shortt, CEO of Dublin-based FoodMarble, in an interview with VentureBeat.
“Some people have symptoms that impact daily life, like irritable bowel syndrome,” said Shortt. “They are intolerant of certain foods, but may not know which ones. We want to make this measurable.”
This is actually really cool tech, and could serve a really helpful purpose. People who suffer from IBS or other gastrointestinal disorders can find themselves in real pain, for extended periods of time, and the solution or treatment could vary depending on the actual root cause. Plus, it’s easier to avoid things in the future once you know you might be susceptible to problems.
Of course, this could also be inverted for nefarious purposes, if you’re really into fart jokes and want to know which foods to eat to best prep for a series of big ones.
Truly a product with something for everyone.
