We’re told to eat more plant-based proteins and then when we do eat more beans, we end up sitting alone in a room due to the, ahem, after effects. That this is one of my top posts of all time is no surprise. At nearly every health event I have lectured at, I am asked if there is a way to eat beans and fart less. What is usually asked is this:
“I love beans and feel great when I have them, but when my husband eats them, he will nearly blow me out of bed. What can I do?”
When we welcome the goodness of whole foods into our lives, our bodies refuse to tolerate any old crap we continue to put into them. It’s also true that when we rid ourselves of toxins, we can even begin to have reactions to the healthy stuff, too. That’s because once the terrain in our bodies is clear, our true food intolerances become illuminated.
This is where beans come in. It’s not that we may be intolerant to them, it’s that when our microbiome adjusts and changes, we can become more sensitive to some things that never bothered us before. Likewise, there can be very healthy foods like beans, and even broccoli or kale, that don’t work for even the most iron-clad digestive systems.
Beans and legumes are nutritional powerhouses. They’re dense sources of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. They can help us to feel fuller with our meals, support blood sugar balance and improve our pooping thanks to that load of fibre.
Beans and legumes are notoriously difficult to digest, due to their high content of both protein and complex carbohydrates. They contain something called ‘oligosaccharides’, which are sugars that remain undigested until they get to your colon, where the bacterial feast begins and then presto – you’re tooting a musical tune.
Beans and legumes are notoriously difficult to digest, due to their high content of both protein and complex carbohydrates.
The good news is that there are ways to make your beans and legumes more digestible, which will help reduce the tushie trumpets.
How To Prepare Beans
- Use dried beans. Most brands of canned beans are loaded with salt and bisphenol A, which messes with your endocrine system, amongst other things. We don’t want that, do we? Not only are dried beans healthier because you can control what you add to them, but they are also cheaper, even if you buy organic.
- Soak your beans. Prior to cooking, soak your beans for at least eight hours. I like to soak mine overnight, or you could leave them to soak in the morning and cook them when you arrive back home in the evening. Soaking beans and legumes reduces the amount of the oligosaccharides that can cause a lot of the gut disruption. This also decreases their phytic acid content. Phytic acid binds to vitamins and minerals, making them less available for us to use. So soak those babies!
- Drain and rinse your beans. Don’t take the beans with their soaking water and simply transfer them into a pot for cooking. Using a large colander or strainer, drain your beans and legumes and rinse them really, really, really well. This makes sure you eliminate any starches or phytates that were released during soaking time.
- Add kombu to the cooking water. Seaweeds like kombu or kelp help make beans more digestible, plus they add a little bit of extra vitamins and minerals. You could also add spices that aid digestion like fennel, cumin or ginger.
- Practise moderation. Try eating them in small amounts to give your body time to adjust, and then increase your consumption. For some of us, though, beans will always be a tricky beast, but that doesn’t mean we need to stop eating them! We can reap the benefits from even a quarter or a third of a cup. So instead of hoovering two heaping bowls of black bean chili, go for a half cup serving – and pack your plate with plenty of veggie goodness, too.
So there you go: my tried and true method for how to eat more beans and fart less. If you have more suggestions, please post in the comments!
22 responses to “How to Eat More Beans and Fart Less”
Hello i wishes to know if I soak and cook my beans can I keep some for later? Fridge or freezer?
You sure can! And you can definitely freeze beans, though I like to freeze them once cooked. If you do store after soaking, be sure to rinse very well before cooking them.
Hi Meghan have a coment to say about this.
I used to drink 5 years ago Coca Cola Zero a can daily, I quitted for this long. The point is I´ve noticed that when I eat beans ( I soaked, rinse, and put them to cook with a spoon of baking soda, It reduces the bloating and the gases, if I drink water, with them, I can not even explain the sourness that I can experiment. I just discovered that if I don´t want to go trough all this bad time, my remedy is to drink a can of Coca Zero, and NO PROBLEM at all…. Do you happen to know why????
Greetings!
I don’t know for sure, but my guess might be the high acid levels in Coke. I would NEVER recommend that as a solution but perhaps consider supplementing with digestive bitters and HcL supplements.
What is that amazing picture of? Recipe? Looks delicious!
It’s a bean salad! I don’t have that recipe, though :(
The mixture is called nyoyo/githeri in Kenya. We boil maize and beans together. After they are both soft and ‘eatable’ we now ‘fry’ the mixture. To us fry means cut onions, put in a pan with hot oil, add tomatoes, salt, spices and add the githeri in. Leave it covered with a little water, stir the mixture. Cover again for about 10 mins and serve. We love it wit tea…at least I do.
I am kenyan. I have eaten githeri. I have cooked githeri. That picture up there isn’t githeri.
I am trying to gain back some healthy weight after losing 20 pounds as a (mostly) vegan – I haven’t yet given up salmon and snapper. I was already slim to begin with and now I feel like a stick. Will more beans do this?
Not likely- as I imagine you were eating loads of beans on a vegan diet. I have you tried adding in more fats?
Beans can help you gain weight, you just have to eat a LOT of them. In fact, that’s the problem most vegans have, is not eating ENOUGH calories and protein. I say this as a vegan for almost a year and a half now, and after adding about 2 lbs of beans a day into my diet, I’m rapidly recovering from workouts, building muscle way faster than I thought possible and losing fat all at the same time ( I use apple cider vinegar to shuttle all the carbs I eat into my muscles rather than my fat ). I had gotten down to 87 Kg as a low-protein vegan, but was still around 20% body fat. 87 Kg may not seem light but my strength in the gym tanked…..I plateaud at a 375 lb deadlift and a 275 lb squat. I look forward to lifting today to see how gaining 13 Kgs in a week ( from all the beans, and no, I’m not much fatter, I have pretty much the same definition as when I was 87 Kg ). I am 100 Kg now and planning to compete in strongman competitions at some point-my plan is to gain another 100 Kg in the next few years by eating a ridiculous amount of beans, fruits, and vegetables.
Alex, who do I follow, or get anewsletter from etc, to learn about the Apple cider vinegar drawing the nutrients into the muscles and other techniques to gain and maintain muscles mass as a person that doesn’t eat meat? Thanks a bunch, Joel
Oh and thanks for a great article on getting more nutrients and LESS “bang” out of your beans, Meghan. :P
Add avocado and chia seeds to your salads. Workout, your body will tone, add muscle then add weight. I went through this when i went vegetarian because of animal protein, gluten and nut allergies. There are many other ways to gain weight when you are a vegetarian and for your case, vegan…. Google is your friend here.
Thanks very good ? information.
Thanks Meghan for this great info.
I love beans and legumes of all kinds. My trouble, since menopause, is before even the passing has stage. I am in great pain and severe bloating once they leave my stomach. Any extra remedies would be so appreciated. I’m hoping for a bean veggie burger soon, 😉. Thank you.
Love articles on how to prevent gas!!!!
Thank you, this is the best information I have found. I appreciate your explanation on how we can have issues come up when we have a clean diet. I used to be able to eat beans without out any issues but now that I have a super clean diet I can’t manage them. I will try your sugestions.
I am happy to hear responses from other VEGANS! I have been a Vegan for many many years. I love to read helping articals such as this one. I love beans and I eat a lot of them!! But they really tear me up!! Thank God I am single!! 😂Ha ha ha…But no way could I spend an evening with someone after eating beans! 😵 How EMBARRASING!! 😳 This artical gave me REALLY GOOD ADVICE!! And yes, I am going to try every single step! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! 🌸
Hey Meghan
Can you recommend an alternative to Beano. Firstly, it’s not cheap. Secondly it has zero effect on me. Products like GasX etc aren’t effective. Is it about probiotics? Most definitely not the cheapest alternative. Turmeric has help ( though thins the blood). There was a lady who dehydrated her own ginger and various herbs in a ginger tea that really helped. She closed her business here sadly. Commercial ginger teas don’t seem to be effective. Happy for your thoughts!
Digestive enzymes may help in the short term, but it’s worth investigating the root cause of the digestive troubles. I have a few podcast episodes that you might find helpful: https://www.culinarynutrition.com/episode-24-digestion-a-critical-part-of-health-we-tend-to-ignore/ and https://www.culinarynutrition.com/episode-26-how-to-rebuild-the-microbiome-and-why-this-is-essential/. I always recommend working with a health care practitioner, who can take a detailed health history and create a protocol based on your unique needs.