Day 56 -- For My Sister

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 for every meal!

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart

The more you eat, the more you fart

The more you fart, the happier you feel

So let's eat beans for every meal!

As a vegan, I should consider myself lucky.  I'm able to eat legumes without any lower digestive distress.  I'm not gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant.  I'm not allergic to soy.  In fact, the only thing that's ever really bothered me were braised scallions and massive quantities of mushrooms. 

For some people, a restrictive diet is a neccessity, but for me it's a choice.  But my poor legume-intolerant sister, L, who prefers not to eat a lot of meat, is lactose intolerant AND can't eat any legumes without blowing up like a balloon.   So, I decided to find out why this happens.  Research in the name of sisterly love.  And I found this . . . 

Beans (legumes) cause gas because they contain a particular sugar, oligosaccharide, that the human body can not break down. Oligosaccharides are large molecules and are not broken down and absorbed by the lining of the small intestine as other sugars are. This is because the human body does not produce the enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides.

Oligosaccharides make it all the way through the GI tract to the large intestine still intact. The bacteria that live in the small intestine break down the oligosaccharides. This produces gas.  So to recap, it's not the beans that cause the gas, but the lack of the proper enzyme in your small intestine that causes the problem.  And you're not making the gas, it's the bacteria in your large intestines breaking down the oligosacharides molecules that are making it -- so blame them.  

To prevent gas that is caused by eating beans, the oligosaccharides must be broken down before they reach the large intestine and become food for the resident bacteria. The enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides is alpha-galactosidase. This enzyme is derived from the fungus Aspergillus niger and is available under the brand name Beano.

If you'd like to learn more, read this humorous article by Hannah Holmes.

ETA:  I'm writing about flatulence.  Could it be I'm desperate for subject matter?