Join Dr. Van Dyken as she discusses 7 strategies to make beans more digestible.
Today’s video it’s a fun but useful one. It’s all about beans and gas. We’ve all heard the wives tale and maybe even experienced personally how beans can cause us to be bloated or gassy. Sometimes this can be a really embarrassing problem. So embarrassing in fact, that people decide they never want to eat beans! Well friends, that I must say is a very poor decision. Beans and legumes are an important part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been found to protect against heart disease, dementia, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. Beans in fact are the only single food that has been linked to a longer lifespan. In this study, legume consumption was the most important predictor of survival in people aged 70 and older.
So, we really should try to get beans in our bodies every single chance we get!
Here we go, 10 ways we can decrease the bean farts.
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Number one: 02:58 Start slowly. Beans contain fiber, and if we’re not used to having fiber in our diet our G.I. tract has difficulty adjusting, and we can get problems. This 2011 study published in nutrition journal, titled “perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in three feeding studies” took a group of subjects and Fed them half a cup of beans daily for eight or 12 weeks. Participants were part of three separate but similar clinical trials designed to investigate the effects of daily been consumption on markers of heart disease risk. By the way all three of those studies showed significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentration in the timeframe studied - so tip - if you’re wanting to lower your total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol - eat more beans! Anyways, back to beans and gas - most of the study participants reported that bloating and gas symptoms started to decrease by week three, and continued to decrease between weeks three and eight. The study concluded that “ flatulence will decrease overtime if beam consumption is continued, and that the nutritional attributes of beans and the diet outweighs the potential for transitory discomfort.” So, moral of the story, start slow and increase gradually depending on how you are feeling.
Number two: 04:19 try a variety of beans to see which ones you tolerate best. Some people can tolerate one type of beans, and not really tolerate other types.
Number three: soak your beans. 05:10
Number four: 06:01 soak and/or cook your beans in alkaline water. This can easily be done by adding a tiny amount of baking soda to the water, and studies show this decreases oligosaccharide content.
Number five: 06:30 sprout your beans. I know, this takes time, but may be worth it.
Number six: 07:09 Cook your beans with Kombu. Kombu, or Saccharina japonica, has alpha-galactosidases - the enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides - the enzyme we don’t have. If you’re a fan of canned beans, some companies sell their beans after cooking in Kombu. I have no affiliation with this company, but Eden Foods is one brand that cooks their black beans with kombu. There are some other additives that have been passed down from generation to generation in certain cultures - these reportedly decrease the gas potential of beans - things like the indian herb asafoetida, the mexican herb epazote, cumin, and ginger. Add them if you like, but there's no real scientific evidence they work.
Number seven: 08:07 Take an over the counter product like Beano - it's basically alpha galactosidase - that enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides - that enzyme we don’t have. Research shows it DOES work when it comes to preventing gas from beans. This study, from 1994, was a double-blind crossover study, where they fed everyone meatless chili. One group was given beano (alpha galactosidase), and the other group was given a placebo. They found a significant decrease in gas in the group getting alpha galactosidase. The study concluded that: “Oral alpha-galactosidase solution is efficacious, at least in some patients, for the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal intolerance of oligosaccharides.” So, there you have it. MOST people, should be able to tolerate beans after taking alpha-galactosidase.
Trust me - it’s worth it - eating beans is such an important part of a healthy diet! I really hope this video helps you find a way to successfully incorporate more beans into your meals. We love hearing from you, so let us know what methods work best for you, or if there are any tips I have left out of this video, I’m sure there are! I hope you found this information empowering, useful and practical. Links to the references used in this video are in the video description below. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you wanna show us some real support, subscribe.
Thanks for watching everyone. Stay safe, stay healthy, and Aloha.