I heard something last week about digestion that I strongly disagree with. A lady (whom I really like and respect) was doing a health demo at my house, and told a bunch of people that beans are really good for you. In fact, she said, they are so good for you that you ought to eat more and more of them until your system doesn’t have trouble digesting them anymore.
Hmm. Perhaps our system was trying to warn us from eating too many beans in the first place?
I have come to see that if your system is healthy, your body will be very good at telling you what kinds of food it likes and doesn’t like. Now, we have very hardy bodies, and if you repeatedly force something inappropriate down long and hard enough, your body will eventually give up trying to resist and build up a tolerance to the substance. (Take caffeine or alcohol, for instance.)
Foods like beans and grains are very complex foods. They cannot be eaten raw, and have to be cooked in order for some of the indigestible parts to be broken down enough for the body to somewhat handle. And obviously, from the existence of Beano, we know that even cooked beans are not automatically digestible. The gas is a byproduct of the waste that comes from working so hard to break down all that your system cannot handle and wasn’t meant to in the first place.
If you want your body to run like a well-oiled machine, give it lots of clean, pure fuel – food that your digestive system recognizes as true nourishment, and foods that digest quickly and easily. By doing this, you will save your body precious energy and the healthy foods you consume will be used efficiently to supply your body’s needs.
What is the clean pure fuel I am talking about? Raw fruits and veggies, of course! Fruits, in particular, are digested cleanly and quickly, which is exactly what our bodies need. Keep in mind that some veggies are less digestible than others. I used to force myself to choke down raw broccoli…I have now given it up and my body is thanking me! :)
As for beans – eat them only occasionally, in small amounts and only as much as your body can handle. And toss that Beano into the garbage can!
{ 4 comments }
We most focus on the importance of eating healthy food. Diversity is also an important key to good health. Since you are discussing beans, I would like to point out some issues related to this topic.
Beans were among the first cultivated crops. In fact, evidence exists that suggests, that native people of Mexico and Peru were cultivating bean crops as far back as 7000 BC.
The benefits of using beans on a daily basis have recently been promoted because studies show beans help to reduce cholesterol while providing excellent nutrition. When combined with nuts, seeds or grains, they form a complete high-fiber vegetable protein.
Most beans contain at least 20% protein and are high in carbohydrates which provides longlasting energy.
Thanks for stopping by, John. I absolutely agree with you about the importance of eating healthy food, and also, a diverse diet. I am not saying that we all have to leave beans out of our diet completely. My point was merely that we should not eat a lot of something that our bodies have trouble digesting, under the guise that it is healthy.
Yes, it is true that beans are high in fiber, protein and carbs. But because they are difficult to digest, our bodies aren’t getting as much of that good stuff as we would like to think.
Protein is denatured at high temperatures and beans usually have to be quite cooked before eaten. We don’t need quite that much protein anyway. Too much protein can actually be damaging. Just my 2 cents, whatever that is worth nowadays. :)
Thank you for bringing up some interesting points!
I hate to say this, but you are terribly misinformed about beans and why they cause gas.
The gas that is developed in our bodies from consuming beans isn’t because our bodies can’t digest them. Its because the bacteria in our stomaches react differently to the types of sugars in beans (raffinose, stachiose, and verbascose). The exact same types of sugars are found in cabbage, corn, peppers, cauliflower, milk, eggs, bread, and beer, which also create tremendous amounts of gas in our systems. Are you also implying that humans shouldn’t consume those food goods as well?
The reaction of the bacteria in our intestines when these sugars finally breakdown is no different than fermenting wine or beer. The yeast bacteria eat the sugars and need to release the expended nitrogen.
In fact our bodies react the same way with all fiberous vegitable matter that enters our system. Which is why most Vegans (like me) typically have excesive gas. Beano was created for Vegans and Vegitarians specifically.
I found your story inaccurate of facts and misleading to your viewers. Please find facts about a food source (and body function) before telling your readers they are killing themselves by eating something.
Hi Eric, and thanks for visiting.
I certainly don’t think I know everything, and I will research what you are saying further. Also please note that I am not a physician or a professional. I am merely a person who is concerned about nutrition and has spent a great deal of her time seeking the truth about it. (As a vegan, you obviously know that there are many misconceptions about what is healthy out there.)
However, I do not recall telling my readers that they are killing themselves by eating beans, as you said in your comment. :) My comment was merely that if something gives us irritation and/or pain, we should not consume huge amounts of that matter. And in fact, my main point was that we should learn to start listening to our bodies.
It does not make sense to me that in order to consume lots of vegetable matter, I have to resign myself to relying on Beano for the rest of my life. :) Beano is artificial and not provided by nature!
I am a vegan – have been for 4 years, and I always thought I was healthy until I quit eating beans and grains so heavily. I find that many vegetarians give up meat and substitute it with tons of grains and beans, leaving little room for raw fruits and veggies. This isn’t a very healthy practise.
I do personally tend to stay away from some of the foods you mentioned – corn, cauliflower, milk, eggs, etc, that cause gas. I find that some foods make me feel GOOD and some make me feel TERRIBLE, so while seemingly unscientific, it is a no-brainer to me to avoid foods that make me feel bad.
I try to eat very healthy foods, and based on years of personal research, I do not find that by skipping out on certain foods like beans, cauliflower, milk etc, that I am missing out on any nutrients that cannot be assimilated from other foods I eat.
I will research more about the sugars in beans that cause the gas – my intuition is that those sugars are probably ones our bodies cannot handle well in large quantities. We can get all the sugars we need from fruits. Fruit sugar digest the quickest and easiest, and leave me no gas. :) Besides, fruit is sweet! Yum yum. :)
Have a great week!
Sarah Parker
Comments on this entry are closed.