So why don’t we eat lots of beans? GAS is the short answer! The jokes about gassy beans are just as common as the experience!
The truth is beans do cause many people to have GAS in the intestines for a very real reason.
Beans contain a triple sugar, stachyose; a quadruple sugar, raffinose; and a five sugar, verbascose that we cannot digest. We are missing an enzyme that is required to break down these sugars. When the beans get to the colon, the bacteria in the colon begins to ferment these sugars producing gas in the process.
If you gradually increase the amount of beans you eat over several weeks most people will overcome this, provided you do a few simple things in terms of how you cook them and what combinations you eat. The benefit of eating more of these sugars in beans is that it promotes the growth of intestinal bacteria, and these bacteria create an environment in the colon that lowers the risk for cancer.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/avoid-gas-from-beans.html#ixzz1LQcyr3eP
Oli,
ReplyDeleteEvery time I stop by I learn something new! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
Take care,
Erin
Thanks Erin! Hope this helps everyone as beans are such a great source of protein.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait so see what's next at Yummy Supper!