How to Best Cook Legumes to Avoid Bloating

“I can’t eat beans because I get gassy” – This is a very frequent statement I hear often from people.

If you are unable to enjoy beans or lentils because of fear of getting bloated, it’s such a shame! Legumes are almost a perfect food as they contain sufficient amounts of carbs and protein. Thus, they make for a great addition to any diet, in particular vegetarian and vegan.

In this post, I’ll share with you some tips on how to best cook legumes to avoid bloating.

Legumes are high in potassium which shares the dry qualities of Vata. If you are not Vata aggravated, they should be a staple in your diet.

TIPS

Drink water

Because of their inherent dry quality, drink 1/2 cup of warm water and make sure you are hydrated before eating legumes.

Not too many

One of my suggestions on how to cook legumes to avoid bloating is to make sure that if you have trouble digesting them, you use more water in your cooking and aim for making them more soupy rather than hearty. You can make your meal more satisfying my adding rice, which is much easier to digest and combines beautifully with legumes.

Soak them overnight

I always suggest soaking them overnight, at least 8 hours, even if we are talking about red lentils which are really soft. My secret is to add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the soaking water to render them even more digestible. It gives them also a delicious sour taste.

No froth allowed!

Removing the spumous froth while cooking is a great way to avoid gas after eating legumes. The froth is basically saponins – a type of poison legumes produce to protect themselves from invading insects.

Don’t know what to eat? Why not try a customized Ayurvedic meal plan that fits all your health, dosha, and fitness needs?

Kombu

Kombu is a kind of seaweed that is known for its high iodine, vitamin A, and vitamin C properties. The iodine is a great addition to your diet to improve thyroid health. Not only is kombu a power house, it also renders legumes more digestible. Add a piece of kombu to the pot before the water boils to help the beans become tender and delicious. Tip: Please clean the kombu slice with a dry cloth before adding it to the pot. Also, if you don’t like its taste, you can always remove it before serving. I like it though 🙂

Use spices

Yes! Not only is this Ayurvedic tip a must to make them taste much better, but they are an incredible weapon against bloating and gas. I would suggest you add hing, black and red pepper, cumin seeds, ginger – both dry or fresh is perfect – and turmeric. These spices increase the blood flow of the stomach and its digestive juices which promote a healthy digestion. Plus they have the opposing qualities of dryness and coolness that you want to pacify to not get Vata aggravated.

Sour? Yummy!

Sour taste can be added from the beginning of the preparation process with the addition of the apple cider vinegar. But, if you want to avoid bloating at all costs and are not Pitta aggravated, then squeeze a little bit of a fresh lime when done or serve them with a heaping tbsp of sauerkraut.

Baking Soda

You can always add a pinch or two of baking soda while the legumes are cooking to soften them up a little bit. Do this if you are NOT using the apple cider vinegar to avoid an explosion in your kitchen!

Happy Healing!

Monica Gisella xx