"Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit, The More You Eat The More You Toot..."

My children used to chant that silly verse that goes, "Beans, beans, the musical fruit...the more you eat the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel, so let's eat beans at every meal." They used to giggle hysterically. Unfortunately for some people, flatulance (intestinal gas) is not a laughing matter.

Many people come in for colonics because they are plagued with gas. There are many causes for intestinal gas and bloating. Build-up of toxic waste material, an overgrowth of yeasts and other parasitic organisms, as well as eating foods which the body might be allergic or sensitive to are common causes of flatulance and bloating. Sometimes weak digestion is the culprit.

Passing gas is often blamed on difficulty in digesting legumes (beans). This rationale holds true for some people. The human body has a hard time processing the oligosaccharides (sugars) found in beans, and as a result, produces intestinal gas. The bacteria in the large intestine, when fed these indigestible sugars, produce gas.

Gas-forming compounds can be reduced by draining off the water used to soak the dried beans, and replacing it with fresh water before cooking. For canned garbanzo, and other beans, drain off the liquid in the can and rinse with fresh water before using.

There is anecdotal evidence that cooking beans with kombu (a type of sea vegetable) and plenty of spices improves the digestibility of beans. Adding kombu to your beans will also increase their nutritional value by adding trace minerals to your dish. Cumin, fennel and ginger are among the spices that are especially effective in preventing the formation of gas, but any of your favorite aromatic spices will help by inhibiting gas-producing bacteria, and stimulating digestion.

Contact Oasis Colonics to help tune your toots to social acceptability!