Gastrointestinal

[Rita Segura]

Newbie here. Just into my 2nd week eating a vegan diet. My digestive system doesn't seem to like beans. I get some gas. Does your body adapt over time? I heard that I should start with smaller beans and work my way up to larger beans like kidney and pinto. It seems like beans are an important ingredient in a vegan diet. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Veganite]

Welcome to the forum, Rita.

The good news is, YES, you should adapt over time. For me I just kept on eating them. I was sort of in denial as to the gas, but eventually it just went away. Mind you, rinsing and cooking them properly helps a lot.

My advice to you would be to build up your tolerance to beans slowly if the gassiness bothers you. I mean by eating more and more each day/week until your body tolerates them better.

I know people that can't consume beans for one reason or another and still manage on a plant-based diet. I'm just glad that I'm not one of them.

I'm not a bean expert by any stretch, but in my own experience, I find canned beans usually gassier.

A few other things to consider:

- Lentils are usually more agreeable of the bean/legumes.
- If you're going to use canned beans, rinse thoroughly, as it reduces the gas-producing sugars.
- If you’re cooking beans from scratch, place them in hot water and allow soaking for several hours before cooking. A second soak using fresh water can reduce the offending sugars even further. Discard the soaking water and use fresh water to cook the beans.

 

[Rita Segura]

This is awesome info. I will give it a try. Thanks so much.

 

[amberfunk]

I use dry beans exclusively. I soak overnight in cold water in the fridge and then I boil them for an hour at a rolling boil and then simmer for a few hours. This takes out most of the gassiness.