Whether dried beans are a new staple in your pantry or a long-time favorite, you probably know (or have experienced firsthand) the more musical side effects of these healthy legumes. They are very rich in nutrients, and the fact that they can produce gas should not prevent you from eating them.
In fact, they offer many of the same vitamins and minerals that you normally get from vegetables, but they are also a good source of protein without the fat and cholesterol found in many animal foods.
Why do legumes cause gas?
They are high in fiber (providing around 6 to 8 grams per cooked half cup), which is a crucial but difficult nutrient to digest. In an effort to break down the fiber in legumes, your body may produce some gas as it works to digest it.
But it's not just the fiber: they cause gas due to their oligosaccharide content . Specifically, it is raffinose, a type of oligosaccharide, that causes music after meals.
Oligosaccharides, a component of carbohydrates found in plants, are difficult to digest and can cause gas or discomfort once they reach the colon.
Although they can cause some annoying side effects, oligosaccharides help promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria and can help improve the health of your colon.
Tricks to make legumes less carbonated
If gas prevents you from eating this delicious food, soaking them can reduce oligosaccharide content by up to 76 percent, according to a May 2014 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
So yeah, soaking them dry and discarding the water before cooking is a good way to minimize any flatulence after dinner.
To soak them you should follow the following steps:
- Place the legumes in a bowl and cover them with about 2 inches of water.
- Dissolve approximately 1.5 tablespoons of salt in 8 cups of water and add to the bowl.
- Soak legumes for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours before cooking.
- Drain and rinse before cooking.
If you need to have them earlier and can't soak them for four hours, let them soak as long as you can and then try this trick.
- Transfer them to a saucepan with 5 centimeters of water and bring them to a boil.
- Cook for about a minute and then remove the pan from the heat.
- Cover the beans and let them soak for about an hour.
- Drain, rinse, and use the beans as you like.
This won't be as effective as a long soak, but you can reduce some of the oligosaccharide content.
Should you add baking soda or vinegar to soaked legumes?
Rumor has it that soaking them in baking soda or vinegar can also help minimize gas-producing oligosaccharides.
Although recent research on the subject is limited, a March 1985 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that soaking them in baking soda for about 12 hours helped reduce the oligosaccharide content.
Adding a vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar , may also help reduce gas production by breaking down indigestible carbohydrates. However, there has been no research that shows this works.
Keep in mind that additions of baking soda or vinegar may not cause legumes to release gas, as we all digest food differently. Gas production is normal, although for some people, uncomfortable.
Bottom line: Adding baking soda or vinegar to soak could help lower the oligosaccharide content and there are no negative side effects associated with doing so, so it might be worth a try.
