Trying to be Vegan-eating beans

Geminieve24
Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So this past month I have given up most all animal products. I'm trying to live as close to a vegan life as possible.
So I have been trying to ensure I am getting adequate amounts of iron, my B vitamins and of course, protein.

My body hates me when I eat beans! I develop severe, painful gas in my stomach, along with bloat and it takes forever for me body to digest beans. I can feel like this for at least two days.

Any tips that would be great. I don't know if it is food combinations (black beans and brown rice) or if they are not cooked all the way?
Thanks.

Replies

  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    No, beans make me sick too. I live with Inuit and they can't eat beans either. I do a lot of nutritional research and, imo, beans are not healthy, but a vegan diet is not healthy for me either. Yes, I have tried it.
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
    Are you using dried beans for canned beans? This is important. If you are using dried beans, make absolutely sure that they are cooked all the way through. Beyond that I can't help.

    If you are using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly before you cook them. This gets rid of most of the junk that causes the issues for most people.

    Also, try to eat them a few times a week and keep your portions reasonable. I think a serving of beans is considered to be 1/2 cup, but look it up to be sure. Beans have a LOT of fiber, particularly black beans. So if you typically don't get that much fiber in your diet, your body can rebel at first with stomach cramps. Try easing into it. Smaller portions, and once per day. If you can, have rice, soy, or whey proteins in your diet too so you're not consuming beans a lot. I tend to eat them about once per day now with no issues.

    HTH
  • kinrsa
    kinrsa Posts: 111 Member
    I had a similar problem when I first became vegetarian. It was years ago, but I think it took about 4 or 5 months before my body got used to all the extra fiber intake. In the meantime I just stayed away from those foods. I can handle them just fine now.

    Lentils might be something to try in place of beans. They also have high fiber, but if they don't hurt you then you can have them in place of beans. Definitely limit beans if they're causing you pain.
  • Havend1
    Havend1 Posts: 52 Member
    Lentils are definitely another food high in protein that you should try as well. Adding GARLIC to your beans will decrease the amount of bloating. You can also try taking something like Gas-X before or even after eating beans. It really does help. I don't have any prob with beans cos I've been eating them my whole life. I do have some issue with broccoli and cauliflower but that seems to have gotten better.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    there's a chance that they weren't cooked enough.


    personally if my lifestyle choices lead me to eat foods that cause severe pain, I'd reassess why I'm making those choices........
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    Thank you all for your tips and suggestions! :)
  • Geminieve24
    Geminieve24 Posts: 364 Member
    there's a chance that they weren't cooked enough.


    personally if my lifestyle choices lead me to eat foods that cause severe pain, I'd reassess why I'm making those choices........

    ahhh don't knock the life style choices; beans are consumed in most all dietary lifestyles. I have my reasons for eliminating meat from my diet. I already do not eat cheese or drink milk anyways.
    When a person changes their dietary habits, it can be quite normal to experience some "issues" at first :) Nothing wrong with having a diet consists of foods the good green earth has provided for us :)
  • tmos512
    tmos512 Posts: 119 Member
    I, too, had issues when switching from omnivore to vegetarian. It just took a while and my body adjusted. Now I can eat as many of the musical fruit I want without, well, you know how the saying goes. :bigsmile:
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
    you can either a) wait until your digestive system adapts to it (this may take a few months) or b) soak the beans overnight to reduce digestive symptoms. I am sure there are other ways you can reduce the side effects if you google it. Just stick with it if you can, it'll go away. good luck.
  • Jackieonappy
    Jackieonappy Posts: 92 Member
    Have you tried bean sprouts
  • patrnbabe
    patrnbabe Posts: 42
    if you're eating canned beans (as opposed to cooking them yourself from dry), RINSE THEM WELL. All that thick liquid they sit in is full on undigestible fibers that will add to your bloating.

    If you're cooking them yourself from dry (which is very easy but it does take advance planning): change the soaking water at least once, if not twice. Then cook them in fresh water. Once they're cooked, rinse them well again. This helps de-gas them quite a bit.

    I soak then cook a big batch in my crockpot, spread them (single layer)on a towel and air dry for a bit. Or you could put them in a very low oven to dry them off. Once they're dry to the touch, put them in a zip lock baggie and toss in the freezer. If you freeze but don't air dry you will have a frozen brick. 3 cups dry fits nicely into a 1 gallon bag.

    Once they're frozen it's easy to pull out the amount I want. for salads just rinse under lukewarm water and they're thawed almost instantly. For soups, toss them in just as you would canned.

    Ginger and garlic are supposed to help you digest them better but personally don't notice a much difference. I read somewhere online that a 1" piece of kombu (dried Japanese sea kelp) also helps (use in the cooking water with the soaked beans), but I've never tried it.

    Enzymes really help while your body adjusts (like beano or probiotics), as well as introducing the beans slowly into your diet..
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    if you soak beans and dump out the water and cook normally this eliminates gas issues. Give that a shot and see if it helps.
  • v70t5m
    v70t5m Posts: 186 Member
    For protein: seitan, spinach, TVP, peas, peanuts and peanut butter, almonds, bulgur, and quinoa are some of your best bets to try while you continue to weigh the beans issue.

    I second the "make sure dry beans are thoroughly cooked," especially kidney beans. They are toxic if not cooked all the way through.
  • vmekash
    vmekash Posts: 422 Member
    I read something recently addressing this issue. I dont know if I buy the advice, but I'll pass it along anyway. Basically, what they said was to eat very little -- just a taste to start. When you can tollerate just a taste, add. The idea is to build up tollerance. I don't know. Might be worth a shot.
    This was from either Shape magazine or Fitness mag.

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