Why do you get bloated after eating beans?
Have you ever tried to add more beans into your diet, such as in a curry or salad and you have then felt bloated or gassy afterwards?
There is a reason for this and it's because of the structure of the food and how it is digested in your gut.
Carbohydrate Digestion
These foods contain a complex structure of carbohydrates (fibre) which can be harder for your gut to digest.
Instead of being broken down all in the small intestine, they also move down to the large intestine, and if the proper bacteria is not in balance, they can sit in the large intestine and ferment, causing the gas and bloating you have been experiencing.
Incomplete Proteins
Another reason is beans and other plant foods such as lentils, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are incomplete proteins, meaning they don’t contain all nine essential amino acids and have lower digestibility rates.
Why can some people tolerate beans more easily?
Tolerance can depend on a range of factors including:
Gut microbiome diversity
Digestive enzyme production
Overall gut health
Stress levels
How fast the food is eaten
Ways to help your gut digest beans more easily:
Soak dried beans overnight and rinse well
Cook thoroughly
Start with smaller portions and build up gradually
Pair with a wholegrain such as rice or pita bread
Manage stress levels
Eat slowly and chew thoroughly
When to get futher support:
If you are experiencing pain, discomfort, fluctations in bowel movements (constipation to diarrhoea), reactivity to many foods its time to get get further investigation.
At the Intuitive Health Studio we use a range of tools to support you. Including Functional Testing (ie Microbiome Mapping test), Food and Symptom diaries, complete evaluation of all of your body systems to get to the root cause of your symptoms. Need further support? Purchase our Gut Health Reset Package or book in a 1:1 consultation today!