I’ve tried every remedy I’ve heard of to fix beans and none of them have worked. I’ve become convinced that people who eat beans regularly have different gut flora which properly digest the oligosaccharides without producing gas, but I can’t prove it.
Have you tried Beano, or a similar pill with alpha-galactosidase as the active ingredient? Taking half a dose before a meal and the other halfway through can help a lot.
When I boil my beans, I add bay leaf to the water. I think it helps.
But I made a white bean, cabbage, bacon, chop tomato soup for dinner last night, no gas. My husband didn’t have gas…
I didn’t do the bay leaf thing this time, so idk.
I think beans just have hella fiber, and idk if your from the US or not, but I’ve read a few times over the years, many people here don’t get enough fiber day to day in the states.
I think the gas has more to do with folks who don’t often eat high fiber foods. When you then, do, it gives you issues.
You’re probably at least somewhat right, if you have beans often, they digest more easily. I had guessed it was because they have high fiber though. It also could have to do with eating under cooked beans, which is never a good idea.
I eat lots of other high fibre foods: oatmeal, wheat bran, whole grain breads and pastas, salads. No issues.
Oligosaccharides are something different. They’re in between simple sugar and fibre. Medium chain sugars basically. They need to be broken apart to be absorbed and used by the body. But we don’t produce the enzyme needed to cleave them.
Bacteria can break them down but they live in the colon (like most other digestive bacteria). This breakdown in the colon essentially results in a bunch of simple sugars being introduced into a bacteria-rich environment. More bacteria grow and feast on the sugars, producing gases such as methane.
Do you eat beans regularly?
I’ve tried every remedy I’ve heard of to fix beans and none of them have worked. I’ve become convinced that people who eat beans regularly have different gut flora which properly digest the oligosaccharides without producing gas, but I can’t prove it.
Have you tried Beano, or a similar pill with alpha-galactosidase as the active ingredient? Taking half a dose before a meal and the other halfway through can help a lot.
I haven’t tried it but I’ve heard it works really well! I’m a bit worried that it would not help develop a natural ability to digest beans.
When I boil my beans, I add bay leaf to the water. I think it helps.
But I made a white bean, cabbage, bacon, chop tomato soup for dinner last night, no gas. My husband didn’t have gas…
I didn’t do the bay leaf thing this time, so idk. I think beans just have hella fiber, and idk if your from the US or not, but I’ve read a few times over the years, many people here don’t get enough fiber day to day in the states.
I think the gas has more to do with folks who don’t often eat high fiber foods. When you then, do, it gives you issues.
You’re probably at least somewhat right, if you have beans often, they digest more easily. I had guessed it was because they have high fiber though. It also could have to do with eating under cooked beans, which is never a good idea.
I eat lots of other high fibre foods: oatmeal, wheat bran, whole grain breads and pastas, salads. No issues.
Oligosaccharides are something different. They’re in between simple sugar and fibre. Medium chain sugars basically. They need to be broken apart to be absorbed and used by the body. But we don’t produce the enzyme needed to cleave them.
Bacteria can break them down but they live in the colon (like most other digestive bacteria). This breakdown in the colon essentially results in a bunch of simple sugars being introduced into a bacteria-rich environment. More bacteria grow and feast on the sugars, producing gases such as methane.
Semi regularly, I guess. I think you’re probably right.
I eat beans basically as my main diet and don’t really soak or rinse them or anything, have no digestive issues from it.