Have you ever noticed that soon after a hearty bean meal, you find yourself bloated, uncomfortable, and breaking wind at the most embarrassing moments? The beans in your meal are probably causing the flatulence (gas) you are experiencing. But don’t worry, beans are a common cause of gas in many individuals but you don’t have to give up you beans to be free of the symptoms. Read on to find out what causes the gas and what you can do to prevent it.
Various complex and simple sugars play a part in our diet and well being. While a lot of then are friendly and essential to our health, some others, because of a deficit on our part, are more of a nuisance. One of these is raffinose.
Enzymes are little helpers that exist in the body to speed up chemical reactions. Without them certain task could actually take years to accomplish. Enzymes speed up these reactions exponentially ensuring that the reactions of the body will be executed in a suitable time. As you can see, the absence of one or more enzymes can cause annoying or life threatening problems.
Fortunately, the absence of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase does not result in a life threatening situation, however it does pose an uncomfortable one. This enzyme is responsible for breaking the sugar raffinose into its simpler form allowing the body to better use it.
When this reaction fails to take place, the raffinose passes on to the large intestines, were bacteria found there causes the sugar to ferment, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane; the gases causing your bloating and general discomfort.
There is one special bean that causes a more significant threat to your well being regardless of the presence of alpha-galatosidase.
The red kidney bean is this bean. This particular bean has concentrated levels of the toxin lectin phytohaemagglutinin. In large amounts such as in raw or improperly cooked red kidney beans, this toxin causes severe gastric upset, namely nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
To prevent this, the beans should be cooked at boiling temperature for at least ten minutes to remove the toxin from the bean, this water should in turn be discarded and fresh water used for the rest of the cooking time. If you are especially prone to gastric upset it is recommended that you avoid this particular bean.
Other foods besides beans can cause gas because of the same problem of undigested raffinose. Broccoli, cabbage, asparagus and whole grains are a few. Nevertheless one can still enjoy their veggies and beans; the dietary supplement Beano contains the enzyme for digesting raffinose.
Adding a small amount to your food or taking the suggested amount of tablets prior to eating, will help you digest the sugar, resulting in a more enjoyable meal.
So you don’t have to give up your five bean soup or your Louisiana style beans and rice. Enzyme supplement such as Beano will save you the ache.
