Is there a Way to Make Your Beans Fartless?

[Wildest Bill]

I mean I never eat beans because of this. And I like them I just don't like the gas or the embarrassment so I don't eat'em.

So I wondering is there a pill, herb or a "fartless" bean on the market?

BTW do all beans make you toot or just pintos and baked beans? Green beans don't how come?

[Pit Meister]

It's called Beano and is in every drugstore. If you don't see it, ask the pharmacist. It's a simple enzyme, similar to Accent meat tenderizer, usually make from pineapple, that breaks down the fiber.

[Alias]

Beano works for many people, but it did something weird to my stomach. I can't explain it, but it was really unpleasant.

[Tabithina]

There is a product called "Beano", which is supposed to help reduce noxious rear-end emissions.
A nutritionist recently told me that people who don't eat a high-fiber diet on a daily basis are more likely to get gas from beans, etc. If you gradually add more fiber to your diet, you may toot a little less violently as time goes on.
(meanwhile, I'll just keep this clothespin on my nose)

[BobT]

Beano does work pretty well, but it's not a guarantee that you will be 100% socially acceptable after eating beans or other fibrous food. You have to make sure to consume the Beano before you start eating the beans.

And, like any sort of dietary supplement, it may have some side effects.

[Ukulele Ike]

Just eat beans more often. (They're good for you, and yummy too!) And once your body gets more used to processing the beans, the gas attacks will lessen.

[BurnMeUp]

another few hints if cooking beans from scratch (in dried form)

When soaking the beans, change the water after about half the soaking time.

Whern cooking, add in a little baking soda.

[Wildest Bill]

Originally posted by Tabithina

(meanwhile, I'll just keep this clothespin on my nose)
[/B]

LOL. I don't blame ya but you don't have to for me. For me you need earplugs. My farts don't stink they are just LOUD!!!

[zen101]

Why would you even want to have fartless beans? Man, the smell is half the fun.

[Minxsmom]

If you are making dried beans - change the water halfway through the soak time. Drain them and rinse them really well again before you finally cook them.

If you are using canned beans, also drain them and rinse them very well before cooking.

No one has ever had a "problem" after eating any of my bean dishes.

[Chronos]

I've heard from my vegetarian kinsfolks that seaweed also tends to reduce the emissions level somewhat. Frankly, I've never experimented with it to find out.

[Purd Werfect]

There are rare cases where those who are allergic to penicillin may have a milder reaction to the enzyme in Beano.

Again, this is very rare, but if you are allergic to penicillin, the makers of Beano suggest that you first try a small amount to test for any adverse reaction, which should not be dangerous or serious if it does occur.

[sailor]

Fiber has nothing to do with it. Let's start with that.

The gases produced by digesting beans are mostly odorless and just carry out the smell of whatever else is in your gut. I have found that gas from people with mostly vegetarian diet does not smell as bad as that from people who eat a lot of meat.

I eat beans very often and do not usually have any problem so it may also be that you make more gass if you only eat them once in a long while. Beans are good for you.

For more details go here (http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970815/skinnyon.html).

[Mojo]

I have some Hungarian friends who swear that if you're using dried beans, add a bit of vinegar to the water when soaking. The two times I had their bean dishes I didn't have any issues, but you might want to do some further testing before inviting the Queen Mum over.

[sailor]

Legumes (http://www.healthwell.com/healthnotes/Food/Legumes.cfm) are very healthy foods. Humans (to different extents) lack the enzyme needed to digest the complex carbohydrate raffinose and this is the cause of the problem. Just like some people lack the enzyme needed to digest lactose.

from http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/gas/gas.htm

Most foods that contain carbohydrates can cause gas. By contrast, fats and proteins cause little gas.

Sugars
The sugars that cause gas are: raffinose, lactose, fructose, and sorbitol.

Raffinose
Beans contain large amounts of this complex sugar. Smaller amounts are found in cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, other vegetables, and whole grains.

Lactose
Lactose is the natural sugar in milk. It is also found in milk products, such as cheese and ice cream, and processed foods, such as bread, cereal, and salad dressing. Many people, particularly those of African, Native American, or Asian background, have low levels of the enzyme lactase needed to digest lactose. Also, as people age, their enzyme levels decrease. As a result, over time people may experience increasing amounts of gas after eating food containing lactose.

Fructose
Fructose is naturally present in onions, artichokes, pears, and wheat. It is also used as a sweetener in some soft drinks and fruit drinks.

Sorbitol
Sorbitol is a sugar found naturally in fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, and prunes. It is also used as an artificial sweetener in many dietetic foods and sugarfree candies and gums.

[samclem]

Could any of you proponents of "soaking beans and rinse/throw away the water to reduce their ability to produce gas" give any links that are scientific in basis? My reading tends to think this makes little difference.

What does make a major difference is a steady diet of beans, which previous posters have referred to.

[Ukulele Ike]

Yeeeeeeah, samclem!

John Thorne asserts that you should simmer the beans IN the soaking water, and then use the same water again for baking (if you are going ahead to the baking stage).

"Throwing out the bean water sacrifices some good bean flavor," he says, and I agree.

EAT MORE BEANS.

I had butter beans tonight, simmered in chicken stock with onion and red pepper, after eating baked Jacob's Cattle beans (Down East-style, from scratch, in a beanpot, with molasses and mustard and salt pork and rum) over the weekend. No gas problems.

Yet.

[Minxsmom]

Sorry, guys, I don't have a link. I am going totally by personal trial and error. I have a very sensitive digestive system - YMMV.

I will agree that I am probably throwing out a lot of the flavor with the soaking water, but I'm willing to sacrifice flavor for a peaceful gatrointestinal tract.

Ike, those dishes sound deeeeeeelicious :)

[Markxxx]

Is there any study to claim Beano actually works?

For some people it does work but you must take high does. 4 pills per serving. And the cost is high.

[Minxsmom]

I found a link from Prevention magazine that mentions changing the soaking water.

http://www.prevention.com/children/remedies/virtped.gaspain.html

Soak the beans. To reduce gassiness from dried beans, soak them for several hours in a few changes of water before cooking, advises Behan. "Soaking and rinsing beans does not detract from their protein content," she adds.

The article is aimed mostly at how to stop gassiness in children, but I would assume that what's good for a child is good for an adult.

All of the other links I've found so far just mention Beano.

[Green Bean]

Originally posted by Wildest Bill
BTW do all beans make you toot or just pintos and baked beans? Green beans don't how come?

'Cause Green Beans are so refined, don'cha know?

But really, this is because in a green bean, the majority of what you are eating is actually the pod of the bean. The actual "bean" part of a green bean/string bean is very small and underdeveloped.

Beans don't make me fart, btw. This is because a. I eat a lot of beans, and b. I follow preparation guidelines like those outlined above.

[samclem]

Yeeeeeah Ike

John Thorne is God! Or, at least, he writes better than God :)

I just got my fourth book by him. And, assuming he still publishes a newletter, that could be my Christmas present to myself.

Didn't you bring up the lard question recently? Or was that someone else? Thorne touches on lard in one of his books.

[robinh]

My husband has had excellent results with Beano. If you find a store that sells the larger sized bottles it is less expensive. (The small bottles are not a good deal.) And slowly introducing beans into your diet will be much easier on your digestive system.

There is an herb called epazote that is often used in Mexican bean dishes because it is supposed to reduce gas.

In India some people chew on fennel seeds as an aid to digestion.

Chammomile tea may help as well.

[Ukulele Ike]

Holy Moses! I've been pushing John Thorne for YEARS...including right here on the message board...and you are the FIRST PERSON I've come across who's ever read him! And that includes the several people I've presented with SERIOUS PIG (in bloody HARDCOVER, yet) as gifts.

Best food writer since M.F.K. Fisher, IMHO.

I got my copy of POT ON THE FIRE: FURTHER EXPLOITS OF A RENEGADE COOK the minute it rolled off the presses last month. I've been subscribing to Thorne's newsletter, SIMPLE COOKING for the past several years, so a lot of the essays in it were familiar to me...but it was worth it to have his piece on Vietnamese sandwiches in hardcover!

The newsletter is worth having if only for Thorne's fiction series, "Hanging Out At the No-Name: A Diner Story (with Recipes)." His publisher should definitely collect THOSE into a book!

I still think SERIOUS PIG is his best book, but there's a lot to be said for SIMPLE COOKING and OUTLAW COOK, too.

Everyone else...read John Thorne immediately! He'll change your %@#$%#$ life. At least in the kitchen.

[handy]

I know they made a fartless bean years ago but I have forgot which one it is.

[sailor]

The secret is in the recipe. You should count the beans and use *exactly* 239 beans.

Use one more bean and they will be too farty (two forty?)


har har :)

[Zyada]

There is also an herb called epazote which is supposed to reduce the gas factor in beans. Mom swears by this and I tend to believe her since everyone in the family love beans except me. It also adds a nice flavor to the beans.