The Magical Fruit

To my dismay, my husband taught the girls the bean rhyme this summer. You know, "Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot." They happily chant this rhyme whenever they see beans and giggle uncontrollable if someone toots at the table.

Despite the antics they bring to my table, I've been trying to serve more beans. They are inexpensive, healthy even for diabetics, and my allergy plagued youngest can eat all kinds except kidney beans. Beans are high in fiber and protein. My need to save more on the grocery bill has me trying to use only dry beans. They take more planning, but I've never read anything saying that the more expensive canned beans are healthy compared to their dry counterparts.

Beans are healthy. They increase fiber intake which can lower risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol and keep your stools soft and regular. And for diabetics, the fiber in beans means they are absorbed slowly, so they help regulate blood sugars. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends adults eat 25-35 g of fiber a day. Most Americans only eat 12-18 g a day, with teenagers and children consuming even less due to poor snacking habits. The ADA recommends children consumer their age in fiber grams plus 5 (so a 5 year-old should consume 10g of fiber per day). A cup of cooked beans provides at least 12 g of fiber (lentils and split peas can provide over 15 g). Now there are different types of fiber, but that is a discussion for another day since both types of fiber are beneficial.

Beans are also a great source of vegetable protein. A cup of cooked beans can provide 18 g of protein--making you feel full. Studies have shown that bean eaters can weigh as much as 7 lbs less than bean avoiders--maybe there is truth in the term beanpole.

Finally, beans have antioxidants. Antioxidants can stop free radicals from causing damage in the body. Meat doesn't have antioxidants.

The bean problem at my house is the uncomfortable one of gas. At my house, only one of us suffers from this problem--I'll let you guess who! I've read several vegetarian web sites and found some tips to stop the gas. Beans have a sugar called ogliosaccharides. We don't have the enzyme to break this sugar down. As it passes through our intestines, these large sugar molecules can cause gas.

Is there a solution? Maybe, every body is different but here are some possible solutions. First avoid canned beans. If you must them, rinse the beans thoroughly first. When using dry beans, always soak your beans. Change the soaking water a few times(I've heard plants like this water). And cook the beans slowly. Basically, your goal is too loosen the skins on the beans, which allows the sugars to escape. But you have to discard the water or the sugar gets reabsorbed. To speed up the soaking process up, start with boiling water. Don't add anything to the soaking water. Different beans require different soaking times, here's a chart from the Savvy Vegetarian to help you. And just so you know, navy bean, split peas, and brown lentils are the hardest beans to digest, thus the most gaseous.

Oh and products like Bean-O can help too if you want to buy them. These products extract a naturally occurring enzyme from mold that breaks down the gas-causing sugars in beans. We've never tried Bean-O and I've heard it is expensive and rather nasty tasting. But it does work. I've also read that gas is caused in part by not chewing food enough. Several gas sufferers have claimed that when they chew their food into a paste before swallowing, they experience almost no gas.

Enough information. Even my information-loving mind feels tired of details. Here's a link to a slow-cooker method of making refried beans. I wish I had discovered this recipe years ago as my girls love it! It lacks the fat and calories of canned refried beans. And re-frying is not needed, just a potato masher. I left out the pepper since my girls dislike spicy food and added a little rice milk to make the mashed beans creamy (rice milk due to dairy allergy). I've found that my girls love to spread these beans on a tortilla. They consume these little burrito-ish foods the same way they consume pizza! For whatever reason, my girls like smooth foods where the separate ingredients aren't visible. These fit the bill. And they reheat and freeze well. I'll post a recipe for lentil burgers next. Do you have a favorite bean recipe?

sources: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=59, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber, http://heart-healthy-cooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_health_benefits_of_eating_beans,http://heart-healthy-cooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_health_benefits_of_eating_beans,http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods, http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970815/skinnyon.html, http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/svreports/beans_without_gas.pdf