getting used to beans? Please help!

[heatherr30]

Can anyone give me some tips or tell me how long it will take for me to adjust to eating so many beans?

The vegan food pyramid I saw said I need to be having 3 servings of beans or soy a day.  I have soy milk for breakfast, that means 1/2 cup of beans or tofu each for lunch and dinner.

I am very against the idea of having over-processed soy protein with every meal, I want to eat beans.  They don't make me uncomfortable or anything but I have horrible smelling gas!  LOL!  my husband is going to move out if I don't figure something out quick!

Are there any tricks to reduce the gas-causing part of beans?  Please share!

[dovey]

Are you soaking them for 8 hours before cooking? And then pouring off the soak water? Some say that adding a few leaves of epazote to the bean pot also helps. There is a product called "Beano" that is supposed to neutralize the substances that can cause gas in some people. You just add it to the cooking water. I've never actually used it, but I've heard that it works. The gas will be gone in time - your digestive system just has to adjust. Now that I haven't eaten dairy in years, if I ever have cheese in something accidentally, it gives me awful gas. I think your digestive enzymes just need a little time to adjust to your diet.

[heatherr30]

Yes I soak the beans overnight then cook in fresh water.. after 10 min boiling (when there are plenty of bubbles on top of the water) I rinse and cook again in fresh water. Going looking for products you mentioned tomorrow.

Really, you don't get gas any more from beans?  How long does that take?  I've been eating beans for 2 months now, should it take longer than that to adjust?  DH doesn't fart at all, which is very weird because he used to have digestive problems on a "normal" diet.

[dovey]

Nope.  No gas.  I seem to remember when I started eating more beans, I had a problem feeling bloated with black beans.  I ate less of them at the time, but now they don't bother me anymore.  I don't really recall how long it took to get used to them.  Maybe several months?  I'm not sure. 

Maybe you should try a variety of legumes - lentils, split peas, garbanzos, soy, black beans, pintos etc.  See which ones work best for you as your system is adjusting.  You said you'd like to avoid processed soy, but maybe you should try the less processed forms of it.  Tofu and tempeh are traditionally made foods which may be easier for you to digest than plain beans. 

Also, don't forget about nuts.  You can also compliment your grains with nuts and get the balanced proteins you need.  Hope you're feeling better soon!

[MrsSlocombe]

I rarely get gas unless I eat an excess.  It definitely doesn't happen to me now more than it did before I was vegan;  I think dairy might have been a culprit then.  I've only had one bad case, and that was about fifteen years ago when I made a black bean soup without soaking the beans first or cooking them separately.  I often use canned beans (which I simply drain and rinse), but when I cook them from scratch, I make sure to soak them.  With lentils, it doesn't seem to matter, though the cooking time of brown lentils can be reduced if you do this.

I don't eat three servings of beans per day, though I often have two.  I also eat seitan for protein, and even grains and vegetables contain some protein.  What about cutting out the soymilk and replacing it with another vegan milk (such as rice or almond) and getting your daily soy (if you would like to have daily soy) from some miso broth consumed along with one of your meals?  I have heard of people getting gas from soymilk, but never miso.  And for legumes, you could concentrate more on lentils.  The red ones are great:  just rinse, and cook with onions, veggies, and spices for a delicious dal.  There are many good recipes available.

[nstewart]

Have you tried doing a hot soak on the beans instead of a cold soak?  I've heard that this can be more effective in breaking down the enzymes that give you gas.  Also, look into adding Kombu to your beans when you cook them.  I love the magazine "Cooks Illustrated" and recently read about adding Kombu to black beans when cooking them (because it breaks down the enzymes and was said to add a nice umami flavor and also make the beans nice and creamy).

[MissAnthrope]

Have you tried adding a bay leaf to the soaking/cooking water?  It will help.  Just make sure you remove it before eating (or blending!  LOL I have made that mistake...).

If you're using canned beans, make sure to rinse and drain completely (I usually rinse 2-3 times just to be sure).

Obviously, dried is better than canned, and in terms of maintaining nutritional benefits, the BEST preparation method is to rinse and pick over dry beans, then leave them for a long overnight (12-16 hours) cold soak, emptying and refilling water once or twice.  Soak with a bay leaf if you plan to use them uncooked (e.g. for hummus), otherwise you can just add the bay leaf during cooking.

[heatherr30]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!  Now I have a lot of different ideas to try.  It seems to be all kinds of beans and lentils (I have tried every single kind offered in my supermarket) and tofu which offend.. soy milk is ok but maybe that's because I have it normally for breakfast without vegetables?  Yesterday I served an absolutely lethal combination.. brown lentils and sprouts... sorry if TMI!!!  It made me realize it could be the combination of eating more veg AND more beans than before.   I am going to try eating beans in smaller amounts and perhaps just for 1 meal per day with only simple veg like cooked spinach or tomoatoes. and eating any raw salad or cruciferous veg for the other main meal...

I like all your ideas for cooking beans and will start tomorrow with bay leaves which I already have in the cupboard! 

[jbk21]

I'm curious about the recommendation to eat 3 servings of beans/soy a day.  This article by respected vegn RD Ginny Messina says  "1. Eat legumes. They’re packed with protein, with the bonus of a big dose of fiber. (No protein-rich animal food can claim that!). Choose three servings of these foods—which include cooked beans, peas, lentils, tofu, tempeh, soymilk, veggie meats, peanuts and peanut butter—every day. Keep it simple if you don’t have time to soak and cook beans (or if you don’t like beans that much). Meals that include a serving of legumes include a PB&J sandwich; baked potato topped with homemade tofu sour cream; hummus wrap; instant cup of lentil soup; veggie burger; or cereal with soymilk."

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-health/the-7-habits-of-healthy-vegans/

Perhaps peas or peanuts/PB would be easier on your system?  Tempeh is also easier to digest because it is fermented.  Don't feel constrained by just tofu and beans.

[Dia]

I just want to add - there is a pervasive assumption that most people have the beans and meat are the "protein" foods, and if you are a vegan you have to get all of your protein from beans. It's just not true. There is protein in a vast variety of plants. Quinoa for example has far higher amounts of protein than any bean (or meat actually). 

So if your concern is that you have to eat beans for protein, I'd encourage you not to push yourself into it. 

I've been a vegetarian (vegan now) my entire life, and I have a tough tine with beans too. I don't eat them very much and I am really healthy. 

Oh, and one other thing - when you make the switch to full vegan, you will probably experience more gas, etc., for a while. :) Sorry but I think it's true. Your body has a lot more fiber and bulk to process. It will pass though. 

[heatherr30]

I'm curious about the recommendation to eat 3 servings of beans/soy a day.

http://www.vegetariannutrition.org/food-pyramid.pdf

I get the point!  Less beans and cook them differently... I started to experiment with different ways of cooking and soaking, and actually found some good resources to help, even with a table for different sorts of beans

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/putting-the-polish-on-those-humble-beans

unfortunately the whole family caught the flu and no one can even look at or eat beans at the moment.  Maybe in another week I'll have a go with one of these recipes... I did try split peas with the bay leaf and it seemed to help. 

[jbk21]

Okay- yeah, looking at that it says 1-3 servings a day.  I have seen a few other vegan food pyramids, and they are all set up a bit differently from one another.  The rule of thumb regarding protein on a vegan diet is that if you are eating enough calories from a wide variety of foods, you are getting enough protein.  It's super easy to get enough protein, even as a vegan, so I don't worry too much about it.  I counted protein grams for the first week or so that I was vegan and quickly realized that it was silly because I was never even close to "deficient".  So I wouldn't stress too much about it, though I do know it's helpful to have some guidelines when you first start a new "diet" (I hate that word, but I don't mean diet as in to lose weight....)  

Also like a PP said, protein comes from a wide variety of sources- like whole grains, etc.  Beans and soy products are still important for other nutrients like calcium, but I wouldn't eat three servings of beans a day, and I love them :-)  I eat a lot of peanut butter, though!  I get calcium from leafy greens, so I am not too concerned about that either.  

I think the main thing is just to find what works for you.  Sorry you are sick!  I hope everyone feels better soon!

[heatherr30]

Thanks for pointing out the food pyramids are all a little different, jbk.

I was concerned about the beans because since moving towards vegetable foods I have stopped taking my folic acid supplement (while bfing). I read folic acid as a supplement has been linked to breast cancer and it's better to get folate occurring naturally.

I had worked out that 1 cup of beans per day plus a green salad and my usual veggies was enough folate and I could drop the supplement.

Maybe I should focus more on greens than on beans.  :)

[jbk21]

Totally- I LOVE GREENS omg :-)