Some people experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as bloating, gas, and stomach cramps when they eat pulses, like beans, lentils, and peas. That's because pulses contain large amounts of indigestible carbohydrates (fibers) that are fermented in the GI tract resulting in the formation of gas.
Beans are hard to digest due to two compounds - Lectins and oligosaccharides. Most beans contain plant compounds called lectins, a family of proteins known for targeting sugars in the body. High-lectin foods can cause gas, bloating, and cramping. These can include beans, legumes, grains, and nightshade vegetables.
Beans contain raffinose and other oligosaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that our digestive system can't break down because we lack the enzyme alpha-galactosidase. This can increase gassiness.
Beans and legumes contain a protein called lectins, which can cause a reaction in certain people. Lectins can bypass normal digestion and end up in your bloodstream, where the body may have an immune reaction.
Mild symptoms may include hives, skin swelling, tummy pain or vomiting. Skin reactions, particularly to legume flour can occur when these foods are used in craft activities. Severe symptoms (anaphylaxis) are much less common and include wheeze, difficulty breathing or feeling faint and dizzy.
Beans (legumes) cause gas because they contain a particular type of sugar, called an oligosaccharide , that the human body cannot fully digest. Other sugars are broken down and absorbed in the small intestine. But the human body does not produce an enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides.
If you find you are sensitive to beans, it could be because your gut hasn't been “trained” to eat them or you have a certain tolerance level. Just like with exercise there is a certain limit you are capable of.
1) Increase your bean consumption—gradually. Per the above, eating more and more legumes will encourage a greater presence of the enzyme we need to digest them, and help to get you over your fear of the mighty bean! Try adding them into your diet in 1/4 cup increments, and increasing very slowly.
Having a food intolerance to nuts, seeds or beans can be very problematic. Often used as snacking options, these foods offer a good range of nutrients, essential amino acids, as well as dietary fibre.
Legumes, or beans, are often called the “musical fruit” because they contain indigestible saccharides. Baked beans, chickpeas, lentils and soybeans have high amounts. So IBS patients should avoid them, or eat them in very small quantities.
Beans & Legumes
Note: some people claim that beans and legumes can cause inflammation because they contain lectins which are hard to break down. However soaking, sprouting and cooking beans and legumes can neutralize the lectins and make consuming these foods perfectly safe.
The Problem With Lectins
The most publicized accounts report severe reactions in people eating even small amounts of raw or undercooked kidney beans. They contain phytohaemagglutinin, a type of lectin that can cause red blood cells to clump together. It can also produce nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, and diarrhea.
Other Foods that Can Cause IBS Symptoms
Even some healthy foods can generate digestive discomfort, including beans and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, as well as nutritional and weight-reduction supplements.
A main reason lectins and legumes are said to be harmful to health is that they cause leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is a poorly defined diagnosis which is apparently caused when substances from food damage the lining of the intestine wall 8, 9.
Some people experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as bloating, gas, and stomach cramps when they eat pulses, like beans, lentils, and peas. That's because pulses contain large amounts of indigestible carbohydrates (fibers) that are fermented in the GI tract resulting in the formation of gas.
Drinking plenty of water after eating high-fiber foods, like beans, can aid in digestion and help reduce bloating. "It may sound counterintuitive, but staying hydrated discourages water retention because your body isn't struggling to hold on to the water it has," Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN, says.
Beans and lentils contain high amounts of complex carbohydrates called oligosaccharides, sugars that the body can't digest because it lacks the enzyme to break them down in the small intestine.
Regularly enjoying beans increase your bodies' tolerance and may reduce intestinal gas. if you do experience a little gas, it's okay—it happens to everyone. It's the sign of a healthy gut that is being fed well. Remember the more you eat, the less you toot!
favism, a hereditary disorder involving an allergic-like reaction to the broad, or fava, bean (Vicia faba). Susceptible persons may develop a blood disorder (hemolytic anemia) by eating the beans, or even by walking through a field where the plants are in flower.
Symptoms associated with lectin and aquaporin food sensitivities include: Bloating, gas, and abdominal cramps. Painful and swollen joints. Fatigue and tiredness.
Lectin is a protein which can be found in many types of beans, but it's most highly concentrated in kidney beans. Ingesting high doses of lectin can cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Lectin in kidney beans is so concentrated that some individuals can become sick after consuming just four or five beans.
The most difficult beans to digest are lima beans, navy beans and soybeans. Also note that beans are extremely high in fiber! That means if you aren't used to eating them regularly, you probably should sit down with a bit 'ol bowl of them.
The blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome or Bean syndrome is a rare disorder characterised by the presence of haemangiomas in the skin and gastrointestinal tract. These lesions are usually accompanied by chronic hypochromic anaemia resulting from gastrointestinal bleeding. The cause of this syndrome is unknown.
Peanut allergy peanut can be associated to allergy to lentil, chick-pea and pea but less frequently. Contrarily, white bean and overall green bean and soy are well tolerated by children allergic to other legumes. In our study, 82 % of the children allergic to legumes had a sensitisation to pollen.