Serious question!!! How do I make beans less.....

[Juniper]

..... intestinally disruptive? :D

[LibraryLover]

Soak them all night, rinse, (dump the soaking water- water something) and cook.

[Juniper]

....and if I still live with a herd of self-propelled children? Is there anything else I can do?!!!! :D

[thewaka]

Beano

[LibraryLover]

They body does acclimate.

[kalanamak]

Soak, rinse, change the water once while cooking, cook with epazote (you can get it at Penzey's or grow yourself .... it is a weed), use smaller amounts, BeanO.

[BrookValley.]

Follow LibraryLover's advice, then cook them with a nice chunk of kombu (a seaweed; you can find it at most health food stores). Then...a good digestive enzyme (or Beano, as thewaka suggested--it's also a digestive enzyme).

[Unicorn.]

You can also add a bit of baking soda to the beans before serving. Not sure of the exact timing, but it will work.

[justLisa]

You can also add a bit of baking soda to the beans before serving. Not sure of the exact timing, but it will work.

 

My mother always did that. I don't know if it is true. I don't really remember ever being overly gassy or not.

[Denisemomof4]

Soak them all night, rinse, (dump the soaking water- water something) and cook.

 

:iagree: I also remember when I went vegan and did the McDougall diet plan, he mentioned that your body will adjust (get used to) and won't be so "musical" after awhile. I found it to be true.

 

I bet your kids are having a blast, though.:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

[Denisemomof4]

Soak, rinse, change the water once while cooking, cook with epazote (you can get it at Penzey's or grow yourself .... it is a weed), use smaller amounts, BeanO.

 

Wow! We need weed!!!

 

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

(I know I'm obnoxious. Thanks for not holding it against me.):tongue_smilie:

[helena]

Soak, rinse, change the water once while cooking, cook with epazote (you can get it at Penzey's or grow yourself .... it is a weed), use smaller amounts, BeanO.

 

:iagree: with epazote.

[Tracy in Ky]

I think that soaking and pouring off the soak water should help, plus serve them frequently so that your bodies adjust to it. :)

[alpidarkomama]

Yes, your body definitely gets used to it. We have beans 1-3x/week, and not a peep from us! :) I don't soak or use any other preventative measures.

[yslek]

Sprouting. Even soaking/repeatedly rinsing/cooking with kombu & ginger/ eating beans frequently I have *issues*. (Also, Beano doesn't seem to do much for me. However, when I sprout my beans before cooking them, I can digest them much more easily. :blushing:

[vmsurbat]

:iagree: with epazote.

 

I'm about to send in a Penzey's order. How much and when is epazote used per pound of beans? Also, the catalog says it "adds flavor to Mexican dishes". It this pronounced? We love Mexican, but we often eat beans with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair as well; I'm wondering if epazote would muddy/conflict with those flavors..

 

Any help or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'm about to send in a Penzey's order. How much and when is epazote used per pound of beans? Also, the catalog says it "adds flavor to Mexican dishes". It this pronounced? We love Mexican, but we often eat beans with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair as well; I'm wondering if epazote would muddy/conflict with those flavors..

 

Any help or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

:bigear:

 

I've just been told that because of my kidney stones, essentially, my entire diet has to change. This change will involve a significant increase in the amount of legumes we eat, and legumes and I have never gotten along *sigh* I've soaked and sprouted, and neither has worked for me. Beano works once, with a small amount of beans, but if I try to have anymore legumes in the next 48-72 hours, trouble starts. Grrr!

[helena]

I'm about to send in a Penzey's order. How much and when is epazote used per pound of beans? Also, the catalog says it "adds flavor to Mexican dishes". It this pronounced? We love Mexican, but we often eat beans with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair as well; I'm wondering if epazote would muddy/conflict with those flavors..

 

Any help or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

Here's a little piece about it from the LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/01/epazote-wormseed-.html

 

I've never used dried epazote, so I'm not sure how much to use in that form. Fresh... a few leaves is plenty for a pot of beans. I like it in tortilla soup.

Don't be fooled by the gasoline type smell. :001_smile:

 

Try growing it in a pot if you can find a starter.

[Juniper]

You are all wonderful!!!! Thanks so much, :):D

[kalanamak]

I'm about to send in a Penzey's order. How much and when is epazote used per pound of beans? Also, the catalog says it "adds flavor to Mexican dishes". It this pronounced? We love Mexican, but we often eat beans with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair as well; I'm wondering if epazote would muddy/conflict with those flavors..

 

Any help or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

It has a smell, but add ANYTHING, fried onion, black pepper or some Aleppo Pepper, and you will not know you cooked it with epazote. I add a couple heaping T to a BIG pot of beans. It is cheap. It is easy to grow. It dries well.

 

I skim it off as the beans are approaching done.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Never heard the baking soda trick! Good to know. We started eating beans then stopped...well...for obvious reasons.

[LizzyBee]

..... intestinally disruptive? :D

 

I usually do the quick soak because I don't plan meals early enough to do the overnight soak. With a quick soak, you bring the beans to a boil, turn off the heat, and then let them sit for 2 hours before cooking. It is crucial to drain the water from the soak. Then don't add any salt or tomatoes until the last 30 minutes of cooking. That has always worked for us ~ my beans don't cause gas.

[momto2Cs]

:iagree: I also remember when I went vegan and did the McDougall diet plan, he mentioned that your body will adjust (get used to) and won't be so "musical" after awhile. I found it to be true.

 

I bet your kids are having a blast, though.:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

 

Curious to know if you are still McDougalling?

[KungFuPanda]

Soak overnight and drain, THEN bring to a boil, dump the water, and repeat twice. It's a pain, but it works for me. Some obscure eastern bloc tip I found somewhere.

[redsquirrel]

We eat beans almost every day and no one in my family finds them gassy. Once, someone made a joke about it, and my boys were confused because they had no idea what the person was talking about.

 

I have changed the water and not changed the water and it doesn't seem to make the slightest bit of difference. I was curious so checked.

 

Now, years ago, when I started cooking beans, I did discover that if I wasn't careful to really cook them well it did cause problem, and pain! It didn't take long to learn the difference between a cooked and undercooked bean.

 

I think lots of people just don't eat enough fiber and then the sugars from beans get in there and everything that is stuck in the large intestines starts fermenting. Once your body gets a healthy amount of fiber on a regular basis it just isn't an issue.

 

So, I say that the answer is... More Beans! :lol:

[TrixieB]

Soak the beans overnight and drain. Refill the pot with water (with the beans in it, of course!), swish the water around, and drain. Do this step a couple of times.

 

Then add 1/2 teaspoon of savory to the beans when you put them on to cook.

[Carol in Cal.]

Learned from Laurel's Kitchen, the quinessential vegan cookbook, and it works every time:

 

Sort the beans very well. This gets rid of random twig chunks that lead to gas.

 

Then rinse them very thoroughly in cold running water. This washes off the dusty residues that can lead to gas.

 

Then put them in a big pot, and heat to boiling. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the gas, cover the pot, and let it cool slowly to room temperature (about 2-3 hours).

 

Then pour through a colander to thoroughly drain this water, which contains most of the bean gas-producers. Rinse again very thoroughly.

 

Then cover with all new water in a clean pot and simmer until ready.

 

(You can add garlic at that last step; I always do.)