Do you want to eat more legumes because you've heard about the health benefits (healthy heart, balanced glucose, healthy gut microbiome, balanced hormones, and more), but you don't enjoy the bloating and gas after eating them?
Here is my tried and tested way to prepare legumes and help you enjoy more of these protein rich and nutrient dense food in your diet.
What are legumes?
Legumes are beans, peas, and lentils.
They’re a healthy source of fiber, carbohydrates, and protein, making them an excellent substitute for animal protein, especially for anyone following vegetarian or vegan eating lifestyle.
Now it's true that eating legumes can cause digestive upset for some. And that's because legumes are made up of a type of oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, that can be difficult for digestive enzymes to break down. When not digested, these oligosaccharides end up being fermented by bacteria in the colon. This is why you may experience gas and bloating when eating legumes.
Oligosaccharides are small chains of 3-10 monosaccharides. They're a great source of prebiotic fiber, that activate healthy gut flora. They're naturally found in foods like: raspberries, fits, garlic, broccoli, Jerusalem artichokes, watermelon, as well as breastmilk.
There are many health benefits to eating a diet rich in legumes, but it's important that they're properly digested. Here's my proven way to prepare dried legumes and make them more digestion-friendly.
How to prepare legumes to reduce gas and bloating?
Soak dried legumes overnight in cold water.
If you're soaking them to sprout, make sure to rinse and soak with fresh water ever 12hrs until legumes begin to sprout - this typically takes 48hrs.
Rinse soaked legumes, place in a pressure cooker, cover with fresh water.
Add a few dried bay leaves to the pot.
Add fennel seeds or cumin seeds (1-2 tbsp for each cup of dried legumes).
Add seaweed like kombu, or dried dulse (1-2 tbsp for each cup of dried legumes).
Pressure cook according to instructions, depending on the type of legume. Beans like chickpeas and cannellini will take 23min, kidney beans will take more time 25 min.
Soaking overnight prior to cooking and/or cooking them with digestive aids, such as bay leaves, fennel or cumin seeds, or seaweed, makes legumes easier to digest, plus this process releases nutrients within legumes for maximum nutrient absorption.
The sprouting process increases enzymes that support digestion and also reduces phytic acid that can impair the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Note - If you use canned beans, make sure to rinse them well before preparing.
Nourish yourself with legumes, as a part of your daily nutrition and lifestyle for maximum health benefits like a healthy gut, weight management, and balanced hormones.
Get started with a few of my favorite recipes:
https://www.nourished-alive.com/post/baked-beans https://www.nourished-alive.com/post/high-protein-white-bean-salad
Summary
We're each bio-individually different. Understanding your personal health goals, based on what's going on in your life, can impact how you digest legumes. It's not just what's on your plate that impacts your health, but also what surrounds your plate that can add to stress or joy, easing or impairing your digestion. It's all connected.
Rather than eliminating legumes entirely or including them all at ones, as a certified Integrative Health and Nutrition Coach, I help clients to explore food choices that help them feel their best vs labeling food as 'BAD' or 'GOOD'.
Also, understanding if you've been diagnosed with any hormonal health imbalances can offer meaningful information for which nutritional needs may be most critical for you at this stage of health journey. If you'd like to eat more legumes, try preparing them per above instructions, or book a health consultation and let's create a plan that best suits your nutritional and lifestyle goals.
Additional Resources
https://www.pcrm.org/news/news-releases/vegan-diet-rich-legumes-beneficial-decreased-weight-new-study - Legumes: Increased legume consumption was associated with decreased weight, fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue. Consuming more meat alternatives, including tofu, tempeh, and veggie burgers, was associated with a decrease in body weight.
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