I recently wrote a thread about my bloating/sudden weight gain. I determined the only similar food on all 3 days it occurred was canned black beans. I love beans though (and as I only meat 1 or 2 days a week I'd hate to give them up). Is there a way to reduce their gaseous nature? I've noticed when I boil beans I don't seem to bloat (as I now recall an incident a few weeks ago when I made bean enchiladas within days of each other once just microwaving wheree I bloated and once boiling them first where I didn't). I also didn't bloat when I made a black bean chili the other day where they simmered about 10 minutes.
Has anyone heard of this or know someone with a similar problem?
Pinto beans make me all bloated and gassy. But all beans make me gassy.
I take gas relief supplements before eating any beans (which helps with the bloating) and ham (ham has the same affect on me as pinto beans).
I've found that I experience absolutely no gas when I eat adzuki beans - they are quite similar to a black bean, but naturally a bit sweeter. I have never been able to find them canned, but the dry beans cook quite quickly as they are a bit smaller.
Do you have a history of eating black beans, or have you only started with them more recently? Sometimes it takes a while to build up the right enzymes. Beans make a lot of people bloated, but some can adjust if they eat them a lot. Common wisdom say cooking and pre-soaking is supposed to affect their degree of gassiness (although the kitchen scientists at Cooks Illustrated disagree).
You could try another brand maybe? Or you could make them yourself in a big batch, or a slow cooker, and freeze them in a little of their liquid -- they freeze fairly well.
I got a bit bloated and heavy a couple weeks ago during five days of eating beans two to three meals a day (unfortunate coincidence of making a bean casserole and a gift of white bean dip AND black beans from a neighbor) -- BUT! The week after, the scale and my waist went down, for a net loss of two pounds which broke a plateau. So don't forget to take in the longer term as well as short term effects.
Canned beans can also be quite high in salt, which might have contributed to your temporary gain, if you ate a lot of them in their sauce. I always rinse mine before using.
One more thing - I've also read that you should remove the froth caused by beans on top of the water as they boil (esp. chickpeas). Apparently that can cause gas.
As someone who eats a ton of beans - literally daily part of my diet - I am trying to remember if there was a time I didn't process them as well. If they are new to your diet I would give them some more time as long as it isn't making you totally sick.
When I am cooking beans from dry I do an overnight soak and change the water at least once in the process. Then I change the water again before the final boil and slow cook.
I also heard about skimming the foam and doing the first hour or so of the simmer with the lid off.
If I use canned beans I often do rinse them (someone mentioned the salt).
I don't think it's salt- I usually get the organic ones since they tend to be low in sodium. However, it is true I only recently started eating them, so my body probably does need tto adjust to them. I never liked beans as a child, and only ate them when forced, so it makes sense.
Do you rinse them? Thoroughly rinse canned beans in cold water, and when cooking dried beans drain and thoroughly rinse the beans of the soaking water before simmering them.
I have also heard of adding kombu(sea vegetable) to dried beans when soaking/simmering which reportedly has the effect of softening the beans and making them easier to digest, though I haven't done this myself.
As someone who doesn't eat meat, I consume beans or bean-based foods on a daily basis(sometimes for every meal!) and can also report that it's a non-issue once your body is used to the extra fiber.
When you use canned beans, rinse them well and you'll remove a lot of the gas. If you are cooking dried beans, soak them overnight or bring them to a boil, boil for 1 minute then cover and remove from heat. After an hour, drain the water and cook as usual.
I use canned beans so I rinse them really well in warm water and I use only a 1/3 cup in a meal so I have not had any major issues with gas or bloating from beans.
When I eat them I drink a lot of water too.
bean bloating
