Alas, it's true that for many people beans and legumes can cause uncomfortable gas and bloating–and no one wants that at the summer pool party!
In fact, I avoided beans for years because of this problem. While this may have been necessary for my gut repair process at the time, I've learned a few tricks of the trade to help me digest beans and legumes happily.
Check out these tips for how to approach and prepare beans for a delicious, "toot-free" experience!
1. Start low and slow.
The human digestive system can't break down certain bean fibers on it's own, but the good news is that they are digestible by good bacteria that live in the lower intestine. However, if there's a deficiency of these good bacteria in your gut, then there won't be enough of them to break down that bean fiber–and this can cause gas.
So how do you become no longer deficient in those healthy bacteria? How do you have a robust healthy level of them in your gut so they will happily eat up that bean fiber–and you won't get the farts? The answer, ironically, is to feed them beans!
But, just a little at a time.
Maybe just one or two bites a day for a while. This way you can avoid an excessively gaseous reaction, but slowly rebuild the healthy bacteria in the colon. Once that bacteria is more plentiful, it will do a great job breaking down the bean fiber for you, and you should be free of gas and bloating. Over time you can slowly increase your bean intake and eat larger portions comfortably.
2. Choose the beans and legumes that are easiest on digestion.
Pinto beans and black beans don't make it onto this easy-to-digest list but they are easier on the gut than kidney beans and soy beans, which are known to be troublesome to digestion.
2. Cook and prepare your beans to be toot-free!
Use dried beans rather than canned. It's cheaper, plus you can easily follow the steps below to prepare them well, for an experience of digestive ease.
Drain and rinse them really well. I spend about a minute running water over my beans in a colander, to fully wash away those difficult-to-digest compounds.
Cook them really well, until they are very soft and tender. (Yummy.) Cooking times vary for different beans, but if the recommended time is say, an hour–like with pinto beans–I'd cook them for two or three, on a low simmer. Crock pots work well, and the Instant Pot (an electric pressure cooker) is especially good for beans and legumes. It de-activates even more of the difficult-to-digest compounds found in beans.
And another trick: cook your beans with bay leaf and/or cumin, two herbs that have gas reducing properties.
Now you're ready to go forth and enjoy beans, toot-free! And you can enjoy them happily, knowing you are feeding the healthy bacteria in your gut. Those that help repair digestive health, strengthen your immune system, and nourish your brain and mood.
Served on a bed of romaine lettuce with diced avocado. Because of the vinegar, the beans marinate, and keep well in the fridge. An easy, healthy lunch to have on hand on a summer day!