Digestion Tip Number Seven.

Today I found a ladybug, an ant, and a fly indoors. I think this is a sure sign that Spring is well on its way.

Becca's Digestive Tip Number Seven: Rinse your beans.

Beans produce a carbohydrate known as raffinose. Raffinose is non-digestible as humans do not contain the enzyme (alpha-galactosidase) required to break it down. Bacteria in the gut is capable of breaking down raffinose, but produce gases as by-products; this is why beans are often associated with flatulence. Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot.

Raffinose, however, is soluble in water and is thus removed from the beans if they are left to soak. Dried beans should be left to soak about eight to twenty-four hours before they are cooked to leech this carbohydrate out (and to help speed up the cooking process). Similarly, when beans are canned, they are left to soak in liquid. Therefore, when using canned beans, make sure to rinse, rinse, and rinse, to wash away the raffinose (as well as other preservatives that may be floating in the can's liquid).