What's all the fuss about beans?

Beans are one of the best foods humans can eat. Not only are they a treasure chest of vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and antioxidants, they're also diabetic friendly. Their low Glycemic index (GI) help keep insulin levels riding on a nice even keel, no crazy fluctuations to cause problems.

Bean eaters are thinner than non bean eaters and they have a reduced chance of developing cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. We should all eat them three to five times a week.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "But, Mairlyn, they make me fart!"

Right, the old flatulence issue.

You may have heard the musical number, "Beans, beans the musical fruit the more you eat the more you toot." If you're in your fifties or a Mel Brooks fan you're probably familiar with the classic campfire farting scene in Blazing Saddles. Every guy I ever met, dated or married loved that scene. My husband at the time actually fell out of his seat into the aisle in the theater. He and all those other guys that were lying in the aisle howling thought farts were funny. Must be a boy thing.

So what about the rest of us? Why do so many of us make such a big deal about having gas anyway?

I know some women claim to have never passed wind, but let's face it, they're lying. Everyone has the toots at some time or other. On average most of us get about fourteen episodes a day. It's one of the main reasons I exercise - great way to get rid of it. "Better out than in" to quote the biggest stinkiest troll of all time, Shrek.

Yes, it's improper to cut the cheese in public, but so is talking with your mouth full, spitting and not giving your seat up to an elderly person on the bus. Let's face it, we've all seen people who eat with their mouths open, spit and hog the seats on public transit every day and rarely does anyone say anything. Let one little inopportune fluff go and you might as well pack your bags and leave town.

Which brings us to the stink-a-reeno factor.

Today's society is so terribly afraid of smelling that we've gone to great lengths to combat the dreaded body, foot and breath odour. We're even branching out and fighting the dreaded dog, rug, house, car, you name it odour making our environment as close to sterile as possible.

Now, I'm not a toot wherever you want kind of person and I'll be the first one out the door to excuse myself, but if the main reason you aren't eating heart-healthy beans is because of the evil vapours that might escape your bod, I have some solutions.

First of all a little science; we produce gas because we don't have the enzymes to break down the sugars in some foods so in that dark warm environment of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract those sugars turn into gases, basically fermentation at its best. Everyone's GI tract is unique to what they eat on a regular basis. If you're not a regular bean eater that old GI tract of yours is going to let you know, if you catch my drift.

You can do several things to combat this effect. My first pick is to eat beans more often. That musical number about beans really should have been, "Beans, beans the musical fruit the more you eat the less you'll toot," because your body does gets used to beans, eventually. There's a sort of noisy two-week period, but once you're over that you should be almost fart free. I eat beans every day and they don't give me gas - but I only eat red meat a couple of times a year so when I have a steak all I can say is, "Yikes!"

Some people swear by mint tea, probiotic yogurt, turmeric or seaweed to combat flatulence. If that's a little too hippy dippy for you, try Beano. It's a natural food enzyme that can help prevent gas before it starts. Use it before a meal that contains beans and it should help. Or buy a Flatulence Filter Seat Cushion made by GasBGon, I'm not even making this up, this seat cushion not only absorbs gas odours, but it muffles the sound to boot. Sure you might look odd carrying it into a meeting so just tell everyone you have a bad back. I own one. It gets a lot of use when company comes over for chili.

For convenience I use canned beans. I drain and rinse them under cool running water till the water runs clear reducing the sodium levels by 40 per cent. Or I buy low-sodium canned beans. I drain and rinse them to reduce the sodium levels even further.

The bottom line is that beans are good, no they're actually great for us and we need to eat them more often. Grab a solution to your vapours and start chowing down on chickpeas, black, kidney, pinto, adzuki, Edamame or lima beans just to name seven of these extraordinary legumes.

Peace, Love and Fibre,

Mairlyn

For more information on Beano or the Flatulence Filter Seat Cushions click on the links below:

• http://www.beanogas.com/
• https://www.dairiair.com/cart/home.php?cat=248