An Expert Settles the Debate: This Is the Best Trick to Make Your Beans Less Gassy
It involves a food item that you probably already have in the fridge
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Beans are magical, and not just in fairy tales. Everyone from your favorite social media chef to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing for increased bean consumption, and there’s plenty of good reason—beans are rich in protein and fiber, making them an affordable foundation for a nutritious and filling meal.
Despite their benefits, you could say beans don’t have the best reputation, thanks to their ... after-effects. So, when we heard about a simple trick that helps reduce gas in beans, you bet we investigated the method.
Why Do Beans Cause So Much Gas?
“Beans produce gas mainly due to oligosaccharides, which are complex sugars like raffinose and stachyose,” says recipe developer and food expert Rizwan Asad. “We lack the enzymes to break these down, so they end up fermenting in the gut, creating gas.”
According to our friends at Eating Well, high-protein foods contain compounds that can exacerbate gas or lactose in dairy. In beans’ case, hard-to-digest complex carbohydrates (including oligosaccharides and fiber) cause further fermentation and discomfort.
Why Cooking Beans with a Carrot Makes Them Less Gassy
While it’s not exactly a scientific breakthrough, cooking a carrot in your beans does help cut back on gas. “The idea behind it is that carrots—when cooked with beans—may absorb some of the compounds that contribute to gas,” Asad says. “It’s not that the gas literally ends up in the carrot, but rather that the carrot may alter the cooking liquid or help with digestion in a more indirect way.”
Other Ways to Prevent Gas
The carrot method helps cut down on gas, but it’s not the only way to make eating beans a more enjoyable process. Here are five other tips to implement into your bean routine:
Soak your beans overnight: “Soaking beans is by far one of the most effective ways to reduce gas,” Asad says. “Let them sit in water for 8 to 12 hours and make sure to discard the soaking water—this removes much of those gas-causing sugars.” If you truly don’t have time to soak your beans, rehydrate them in a pressure cooker.
Consult your pantry: Spices and herbs like cumin, bay leaves, and fennel, as well as baking soda, are known to help break down the gas-causing sugars in beans. Warm beverages like mint or ginger tea can also aid digestion.
Take a supplement: Digestion-easing supplements like Beano and asafoetida exist for a reason. For best results, take your supplement before eating the beans.
Move it around: Go for a walk, hit the gym, or give yourself a little belly massage after eating to loosen and release any gas in your abdomen. It sounds silly, but it works.
Eat more fiber: Gradually increasing your fiber intake will help you develop a tolerance to gas-causing foods by changing your gut microbiome. Your digestive system is an ecosystem of bacteria that can adjust to increased amounts of fiber over time, and this ecosystem impacts your entire body so that in the long run, you'll benefit from increased energy and a healthier digestive tract. Until then, there's nothing wrong with getting a little help from spices, supplements, soaking, or a humble carrot.
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