Avoiding gas after eating beans

[weinoo]

I hope Rancho Gordo weighs in.

[rotuts]

Inulin is water soluble, so you remove some of that by soaking in cold water w several changes of the water.

never understood how espazote works. never read anywhere that it contained inulase

[gfweb]

That is a mystery. Wonder if it really works. Wonder if it activates the bean's own inulase.

[HungryC]

http://www.beanogas.com/

[rotuts]

I have doubts about espazote. it would have been figured out. but its traditional.

beans have inulase ?

[gfweb]

If they have inulin, they must have a way to break it down.

[rotuts]

naw, is there to upset people so beans can't fulfill their destiny, seed like in the ground. teach you not to eat-um.

[gfweb]

But beans are only edible when cooked if not they pass thru the gut undigested and are thus planted. The evolving bean did not have to contend with a pot of boiling water and a hungry caveman

[rotuts]

you could chew a fresh bean. that would work. not too tasty though ... Toot Toot !

[nickrey]

I recall Ranchogordo calling gas a "gift with purchase" so am not sure that he'll have too many solutions.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Rotuts/gfweb: it's not an inulin/inulase reaction with epazote (no extra s in the name), it's a carminative action due to the volatile oils present (which are similar in structure to those of fennel/anise and tarragon) that causes you to burp more often (and fart less) and therefore release the gasses produced by the inulin in your digestive system in a less noxious way.

[scubadoo97]

The usual advice is to eat them more regularly to get your digestive track use to them

[andiesenji]

For people, who do not have the intestinal enzymes that break down the oligosaccharides in beans, the recommended solution is BEANO.

Soaking the beans twice - in fresh water each time - and pouring off the soak water and rinsing the beans, can help somewhat but if you don't have the enzymes naturally in the gut, you will have gas.

Beans do not produce this effect in me. Other vegetables do - different chemicals, - cabbage is one such, ditto Brussels sprouts.

Read this for some helpful ideas.

[Smithy]

I hope Rancho Gordo weighs in.

The usual advice is to eat them more regularly to get your digestive track use to them

That's exactly the advice included with my most recent Rancho Gordo purchase: "eat more beans".

DH swears by soaking the beans in water with baking soda for some hours before cooking. We can both see bubbles generated during the soak. We haven't agreed on whether it influences the final digestive, er, outcome.

[patrickamory]

It's just part of the price. Well worth it, in my opinion

[BeeZee]

The usual advice is to eat them more regularly to get your digestive track use to them

wish this were true, hubby eats beans or legumes often and it's never improved. I think he lacks the digestive enzyme, might have to persuade him to try Beano and see if it helps.

[lindag]

Personally, I've never found Beano to be an effective tool in eliminating flatulence.

[Ttogull]

I eat beans frequently. The only time they have given me gas is when the are undercooked. The directions on many packages of beans call for a specific cooking time. I find that cooking times vary significantly even across the same type of bean, and the cooking time is almost always longer than given on the bag.

One interesting test for doneness I read is that you should be able to pop the bean between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Or you can cut one to check for uniform color. If there is a spot in the center it ain't done.

A lot of people want to avoid mushiness and broken beans. In my experience, this is done by cooking the beans really, really low and slow. I cook my pintos, for instance, about 6 hours or so. They tell me when they are done. Undercooking will help keep the shape, but is gassy.

I think rotuts might be mistaken about inulin in beans. I am a fiber junkie, and inulin is a special fiber that promotes bacterial growth (a good thing) in the large intestine. I've never seen anywhere that beans are a signicant source of inulin. Instead Jerusalem artichokes, agave, chicory, onions, garlic. I get farty easily when I eat too much J artichokes, but I can eat a pound of beans with no distress. I am taking inulin supplements to eliminate this fartiness, and I think I am there.

From a fiber and gut microbe diversity standpoint, I think eating foods that make you gassy is good for you. As I understand (and I could be wrong) this sort of gassiness reflects a lack of gut microbe diversity (diversity is good) and eating such food will feed the bacteria reonsible for producing the right enzymes. Maybe this is why the fartiness goes away after eating beans often.

[rancho_gordo]

My least favorite subject-- in the world!

Eat more beans, eat fresher beans and if you have a low fiber diet and rarely eat beans, don't have two huge bowls of chili.

My regular customers rarely bring this up so I have to think that the age of the bean has something to do with it as well.

Soaking and changing the water helps minimally and you are potentially extracting vitamins and flavor and throwing it down the sink. Baking soda is kind of nasty and can leave a residue or soap flavor.

I agree with ttogull about undercooked beans. I think they can be a culprit.

And eat with your mouth closed. I understand taking in air while eating can cause issues too.

re epazote, it's delicious not just with beans but in a quesadilla, with sauteed mushrooms or with octopus, but I doubt it does much for gas.