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From: Bryanna (NewVeggies.vegsource.com)
In Reply to: Re: New Veg posted by Rob on July 19, 2005 at 11:33 am:
I'm really sorry that you're having these problems. Just for some background, here is something I wrote for my fiber book: The oligosaccharides, raffinose, and stachyose in the carbohydrate portion of beans are what cause gas in the intestine, because humans lack an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase, which is necessary to hydrolyze these. Instead, they enter the lower intestines intact, where they are metabolized by bacteria, producing gases such as carbondioxide, hydrogen and even methane. Fermentation of bean products (like tempeh, miso, and soy sauce) renders them almost devoid of gas-producing qualities. There is considerable variability in how different beans affect different people. Individuals may have no problems with certain beans and yet are very uncomfortable with others. (Anasazi beans, adzuki beans, mung beans, and lentils are reputedly easiest for most people to digest). This may be because of different levels of bacterial flora in the lower intestine. The more you eat beans, the better your body seems to handle them, so increase your intake slowly if you are not used to eating beans. For intestinal distress, some people swear by cooking the sea vegetable kombu with their beans (about a 4” strip per pot of beans), or using digestive spices such as ginger, cumin, and fennel when cooking beans. The Mexican herb epazote is also reputed to ease digestion. I swear by a cup of fennel tea after a bean meal! Soaking beans and discarding the soaking water, along with sufficient cooking in fresh water, will help reduce gas. The surprising benefits of flatulence: Bifidobacteria, a "friendly" and naturally-occurring bacteria in the human gut, is believed by many scientists to play a very important role in the health of the colon, which effects or general well-being. Breast-fed babies have high levels of bifidobacteria in their intestines, which may be one reason that they are more resistant to infection than bottle-fed babies. Some Japanese scientists believe that people with high levels of bifidobacteria in their colons live longer. High numbers of bifidobacteria may be linked to reduced carcinogens in human feces. Bifidobacteria use raffinose and stachyose, those two sugars that cause flatulence in humans, as a source of nutrition, so they can give bifidobacteria a good chance of surviving over harmful bacteria. NOTE: Beano, an enzyme product, is not vegetarian anymore, since it now contains a fish product. There is another similar product that IS vegetarian called Bean-zyme http://www.bean-zyme.com/index.htm (And by the way, beans are not the only foods that can trigger what is often called “bean bloat”—cabbage family vegetables, carrots, grapes and other high-fiber foods can trigger a similar reaction.) ************************ Go to the link below-- click on the pdf file and the first entry is on gas. There is a list of foods that can cause gas. http://www.healthcentral.com/peoplespharmacy/pp_guides/PDF/outputpage.cfm?filename=GI99&docname=Digestive%20Disorders I have tried fennel tea after meals. I make this concoction using fennel seeds purchased from the spice section ofthe supermarket. Fill a quart canning jar with boiling water and place a tea ball filled with 1 TBSP of seeds in it to steep (I leave it steep for about two hours and then stick the jar in the frig leaving the tea ball in place). pour what I need until it is gone. Sometimes I warm it and add honey, sometimes I drink it cold. Here is some advice from vegan registered dietician Virginia Messina at http://vegrd.vegan.com: You might benefit from a more gradual approach to vegetarianism. For now, you may want to restrict your intake of beans/soy products to once per day. You probably would also benefit from replacing some of the whole grains in your diet with refined ones to reduce your fiber intake. I would suggest making half of the grains in your diet refined ones. Choose fewer gas-producing fruits and vegetables. For now, I would stay away from cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts. Try to pay attention to other fruits and vegetables that are especially gas producing for you. For example, I have been a vegetarian for decades and I have a stomach of steel—but apples always give me gas. Cook your vegetables well since cooked vegetables are less gas-producing. Avoid dried fruits. Use canned or instant beans and use mostly lentils and split peas (NOTE from Bryanna-- split peas give me gas, but not lentils). Don’t overdue it with milk. Sometimes, new lacto-ovo vegetarians increase their intake of dairy foods. ...people with a slight intolerance to milk can feel the effects of this when they increase their consumption. The tips given above are sort of a first step for you in adopting a vegetarian diet. Once you feel comfortable with this way of eating, you can start to gradually switch over to more whole grains. Then gradually increase your intake of beans. And gradually start using more of the veggies that I suggested you avoid for now. It may take you six months or so to get to the point where you are eating a completely vegetarian diet with mostly whole foods. And longer than that to adopt a vegan diet. But that’s okay. Just stay headed in that direction at a pace that is comfortable for you. Finally, make sure you are getting plenty of exercise—-walking or jogging—-and that you drink lots of water.
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