Do you getl bloated when eating beans???

[CarlaVeg]

Ok I think I found the culprit of being gassy and bloated - BEANS.

My stomach was much better these past 2 days. Yesterday I had beans twice and today I'm SOO bloated, it hurts (my colon). I'm also more gassy today.

What can I do??? Would Beano help??? I mean, beans are so important to vegetarians, and I need to be able to feel good when eating them.

:help:

Thanks,

Carla

[karenM]

Sadly, Beano contains fish gelatin. :(

A lot of people say to start the gas-inducing foods (like beans) very gradually, and work your way up to larger amounts. I've also heard that people in Mexico throw epazote leaves into the cooking pot to make the beans more digestible. If you can't find dried leaves, you could buy epazote seeds and grow your own: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/product.aspx?category=205&subcategory=234&item=782&source=ov_epazote_seed&ct=hg&OVRAW=epazote%20beans&OVKEY=epazote%20seed&OVMTC=advanced

[VeganForHealth]

Kombu is another remedy.

[piratebean]

I definitely would advise limiting yourself to one portion a day for a while, then moving up to two portions for a while, etc.

I have found nothing (Beano, Gas-x, etc.) that really helps with this. I think those products are based on a placebo effect, really. I once had some not-nice person in a health food store sell me $20 pills to 'aid in digestion'. They didn't help at all either.

Some beans cause more gas than others. I have found lentils to be very tolerable. Soybeans are the worst culprit for gas. Even though I can now handle 2-3 portions of beans a day, I have to restrict my soybean intake to one portion a day (e.g., I'll either have soymilk or a soy-based meat substitute, but never both on the same day, or at least not at the same time - I spread them out over several hours). Those beans really kill me.

One thing that does help, I find, is rinsing the beans. If you open a can of beans, for instance, put it in a colander, and rinse thoroughly. You'll see bubbles forming on the beans - rinse until those go away. They're the gas from the beans. Also, if you are cooking beans, soak them overnight first, and rinse them thoroughly before cooking them. This also helps to remove a lot of the gas. And, if you are cooking beans, and you see foam on top of the water, try to skim that off as much as possible. Again, it's bean gas, and if you can get rid of it, it's less of it that you'll have to put throught your digestive system.

Some people might soak beans in broth and then cook them in that broth, for soups, etc. I always try to avoid this. (I'll soak them in water, rinse, and then cook them in broth.) Always try to get rid of the soaking water, since it contains gas-causing stuff from the beans.

Another option I have not personally tried, but am interested in trying, is growing/eating sprouted beans. Apparently, the sprouting process helps break down the gas-causing stuff in the beans, since the bean is basically digesting itself as it grows - thus the sprouts are 'pre-digested' in a way. You can make hummus out of sprouted chickpeas, you can throw sprouted lentils in your soups, etc. Again, I have not tried this, but i have heard good things about it, and I'd love to hear if anyone has noticed less gas from eating sprouted beans.

One other thing to do is make sure your colon is healthy with good bacteria. (No, I'm not nuts, this is easy.) Eat yogurt - make sure it indicates that there are 'live cultures' in the yogurt. There are usually several live cultures in yogurt, which may include: L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri and Bifidobacterium bifidum. (I think the first and last are the most common in yogurt.) These help aid digestion; it is necessary for us to have these good bacteria in the colon. I always try to make a special effort to eat yogurt if I've been sick, or I'm having digestive problems. I think they do help, but they're still no magic cure for bean gas. (By the way, if I eat soy yogurt, then I consider that my soy serving for the day.)

[VeganForHealth]

^^^^ That's very good advice.

Also, asafoetida is a "known antidote for flatulence" that's vegan. (It's a ground root.)

Here's some info on it...
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/asafetid.html

It's cheap and available at every Indian food store. I'm sure you could buy it online as well.

Here's some pictures of what it looks like.

[Tesseract]

I follow piratebean's rules and I have very little trouble. Pancakes are a much bigger culprit in my house than beans-- dunno why.

Undercooked beans can also cause gas. Be sure to cook your beans until tender.

Another benefit to soaking and/or sprouting beans is that it frees some of the iron from phytate complexes and makes it more readily absorbed by your body. Sprouting is more beneficial than soaking, as it boosts Vitamin C content, and iron and zinc absorption. Becoming Vegan, p. 107. But I have not personally tried sprouting beans, either.

Another way to improve your intestinal flora if you don't want to eat yogurt is to take acidophilus capsules. I haven't bought them since I went veg, so I don't know how hard it is to find vegetarian capsules.

[CarlaVeg]

Thank for your replies.

I do take probiotics. I was hoping beano helped.

Today I'm bad. I'm very gassy from eating beans for lunch. That's the same way I feel when eating soy products. Soy is a bean, so that makes sense :doh:

Hopefully gluten won't make me gassy or bloated. I bought some this past weekend, but haven't tried yet.

[broccoli]

I always make sure to soak my beans and cook them properly. I've never really had a problem with beans, though.

[CarlaVeg]

Do you guys get bloated and gassy with gluten???

I'm gonna eat it today.

[VeganForHealth]

Do you guys get bloated and gassy with gluten???

I'm gonna eat it today.

It gives me terrible gas. ...But I stick one of these up my rectum and make the most of it.

[veggiefriend]

The book written by dieticians describes the following ways to reduce flatulence/gas when eating legumes/beans:
They recommend adding them very slowly to your diet (1/3 cup per week at first, gradually increasing until your intestinal flora adjusts - the book is written for those transitioning to a vegetarian diet)

"Rinse legumes (beans) before soaking them, change the soaking water two or three times during the twelve hours of soaking, and discard soaking water before cooking.
"Cook legumes until they can be mashed very easily with a fork,
"Put cooked legumes in a food processor and purée them, then eat them in a soup or in a mash such as hummus
"Do not add sugar to a legume recipe, as it encourages fermentation. (i.e. baked beans with molasses!!!)
"Avoid a sweet dessert or dried fruits at the same meal, (for the sugar reason above)
"Add a bit of cumin to your recipe, or drink an infusion of cumin (1 tsp of powdered cumin in 1 cup hot water, infused for 5 minutes after your legume meal."
It took me months to transition to eating more legumes, but both I and my family eat them (almost) daily now.

[xrodolfox]

I don't get gas with beans. I don't know why. I just don't.

[Morna]

Sounds weird, but make sure you chew really well. When I pay attention to that I don't get gas. If you do end up with some pain, try GasX...there are gelatin free pills available.

[ilovemydragon]

It gives me terrible gas. ...But I stick one of these up my rectum and make the most of it.


You must be a real gas at parties :rolleyes: