Some people, however, have bad digestive experiences when they eat beans and understandably shy away from them. Beans can cause gas and digestive distress because of the resistant starches (carbohydrates) they contain, which are broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. These bacteria produce methane and sulphur compounds, i.e. gas, in the process. This can be really uncomfortable and well – unpleasant for everyone. But there are things you can do:
1) Experiment: Some beans are less ‘offensive’ than others and are better tolerated/more digestible. If one type of bean caused you distress, try others until you find a better match for your digestion. Here are a few tips to guide you: Soy- edamame and tempeh are usually better tolerated than other soy products (common offenders to avoid are TVP, soy grits and soy flour). Pink beans have higher concentrations of resistant starches than black beans, anasazi beans and apparently chickpeas. I find chickpeas, red kidney beans and lentils hardest to digest and I take the steps below so that I can eat AND enjoy them.
2) Soak’em! : Soaking dried beans allows time for the carbohydrates to absorb water. Cooking speeds this process and softens them at the same time, however it is not a replacement for soaking. Many of the resistant starches are dissolved out of the beans and into the soaking water as well, which reduces the amount consumed. Soak beans overnight, discarding the soaking water and then simmer long and slow in fresh cooking water or use a pressure cooker. For this same reason, always rinse canned beans. The thick liquid they are packed in is full of resistant starches. So give them a good rinse before eating.
3) Cook them properly: Bean are often undercooked and/or cooked too fast. A properly cooked bean should easily mash on the roof of your mouth with little tongue pressure. Cook soaked beans with Kombu – a sea vegetable that helps tenderize the resistant starches. Drop in a 2 or 3 inch piece to your beans while they are cooking. It may dissolve or you can fish it out once the beans are tender and discard the kombu. Eden Organics brand canned beans are soaked and then cooked with kombu.
4) Chew more than you think you need to: Digestion of starches starts in the mouth with salivary enzymes. Most people eat quickly and wash down chunks of food with drinks instead of chewing. The result - food passes to the stomach in large pieces with little effect from salivary enzymes. While beans do contain carbohydrates resistant to these enzymes, chewing ensures the beans are mixed with salivary enzymes so they can get a head start on these carbohydrates and also ensure that the beans are ground up to have more surface area so pancreatic enzymes released into the small intestine can do their work. Smaller bean pieces also mean that bacteria that finish digesting the resistant carbohydrates in your intestines can do so relatively easily and cause less digestive distress in the process. I can’t stress enough how much of a difference it makes to my digestion when I chew my beans very well vs. eat in a hurry and swallow larger pieces. Try it. You’ll be surprised.
4) Grow happy gut bacteria: One of the reasons people get such smelly gas when they eat beans is that they dont' have many of the bacteria that readily digest the resistant starches in beans (and don't produce much sulphur in the process). This makes sense, they aren't going to grow where there's no food (i.e. resistant starches). Other bacteria take over the job, and well, they stink at it! ;). If you feed them, they will come... Building up a strong, healthy digestive system with a healthy, diverse gut bacterial population takes a little time, but is one of the most important things you can do for your health in general and you will magically be able to digest beans with little effect. Ways to promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria include: eating unpasteurized fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kimchee, miso, tempeh etc.), eating pre-biotics: foods that act as food for beneficial gut bacteria (bananas, artichokes, garlic, onions and... beans), avoiding anti-biotic sources (many factory farmed meats and farmed fish) and finding ways to manage stress levels which greatly affects digestion and bacterial populations (see my link to Relaxation Resources).
5) Start slow: If you are sensitive to beans try introducing them very slowly. Eat tiny amounts of beans (a spoonful of hummus, a swallow of soymilk, a few kidney beans) every day for a couple weeks then gradually increase the amount. You should be able to increase your tolerance this way and enjoy this delicious protein source .
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