Originally published The Ontarion
I had heard about beans being toxic and that their toxicity causes bloating. That came as a surprise because, having been raised in Cuba, beans were our bread and butter so to speak, and I had never thought of that. I learned one exception to the rule during my fourth-year metabolism course, where I was taught about fava beans.
I learned that a small percentage of people, mainly from the regions surrounding the Mediterranean, suffer from a genetic disorder that makes them unable to produce a protein called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). This enzyme is responsible for making sugars into energy that your body can later store. When the body is making energy, it sometimes makes molecules that are very reactive and have the potential to damage cell membranes. Such molecules are called reactive oxygen species and the damage they cause is called oxidative stress.
Yet, our bodies’ energy can also be used to make antioxidants, which I’m sure you have heard much about in the media. Antioxidants are good, because they can absorb the constant oxidative stress that is a by-product of our bodies’ energy production. Constant oxidative stress can lead to many diseases and, particularly, to cancer. Fava beans contain a great number of molecules that are considered oxidants. Without antioxidants being produced to absorb the damage from this coming stress, people suffering from G6PD deficiency will develop a marked anaemia, as their red blood cells will rupture from cell membrane damage.
I am lucky enough, as hopefully many of you are, to not have this disorder, and I have thoroughly enjoyed fava beans on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for people who suffer from G6PD deficiency, and so they must be careful of what they eat. Anything that contains a high level of oxidants will not do. We eat foods with oxidants all the time, such as chocolate, pizza, pastries, ice cream – basically everything that should be good for you. Oxidants are not bad, however. They help us during infections, and they raise inflammation when the immune system needs it. That is why our bodies try to maintain a balance of oxidants and antioxidants.
That being said, what about other beans? Are they toxic too? I am not aware of any beans other than fava beans that are toxic, but why do we get bloated, then? Well, our bodies are amazing machines but sadly, we cannot digest everything. Have you tried eating rocks lately? Our gastric acid and enzymes are just simply not tough enough on them.
And if you’ve ever tried to chew a bean, you’re basically eating a small pebble. You have to cook them really well to break the fibers enough so that they are digestible. For that reason, you may also sometimes soak beans overnight prior to cooking so they can soften. Even then, you will still get bloating! We cannot digest all of a bean’s fibers, but bacteria can. As they eat, they grow. Unlike us, when bacteria digest food, their end product is not carbon dioxide, but methane, and hydrogen sulfide, which is not the most pleasant of all gases. You can only imagine what a growing group of bacteria can generate over some hours.
Beans are amazing, however. The amount of fiber they have can surely help you avoid those wonderful all-bran muffins, cereal, and other things that taste like cardboard boxes. To help you embrace the farts, I’ve got a super tasty “garbanzos” recipe all the way from Galicia, courtesy of my great-grandma, and perfect for winter.
3 cups garbanzos (chickpeas)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
Chop half a white or sweet onion
1 clove of minced garlic
2 small potatoes, cut up in quarters
A quarter of chorizo sausage
2 tsp of cumin
Soak the chick peas overnight, or buy three cans and skip this step by just washing and draining them completely. Then, put a pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are golden. Make sure not to burn the garlic. Add the potatoes, and sauté them for about 10 minutes, then add the chicken broth, water, and chick peas. After about 10 minutes, add the chorizo sausages, and let the whole thing simmer for another 25 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Enjoy!
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