Tag team back again with Janey’s snack bag Part II.

Check out the Janey Brown’s Snack Bag Part 1 here

In our latest video I dive back in and check out Janey’s new snack bag, probation is over and it’s time to see if she cleaned up her game. Check below for an explanation on some of the topics discussed in the video. (Including why beans and chickpeas give you gas and what you can do about it.)

Janey has made some major improvements to her snack bag, she has traded in her “mystery” meat sticks for raw vegetables and hummus. A concern of Janey’s that has arisen from eating large amounts of hummus is episodes of gas and bloating. This is a somewhat common occurrence when eating beans, peas and lentils so I wanted to provide some solutions for those of you who may experience similar symptoms.

Firstly, beans and legumes are a great source of plant-based protein and are a staple in any whole foods nutrition plan, particularly for vegetarians and vegans. Beans and legumes are rich in both insoluble fibre (helps in the bulking of stool) and soluble fibre (assists in removing cholesterol from the body). Beans and legumes are also rich in folic acid, , b- vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Beans are great source of complex carbohydrate (helps to sustain energy), they have anti-inflammatory properties and assist in boosting cardiovascular health. An added bonus is that beans are super cost effective source of protein. Soooo, basically they are awesome.

There CAN be some downsides to eating beans and legumes. One thing I have to mention is that everyone is unique. How one person metabolizes beans can be completely different than another. Certain individuals will experience no adverse side effects while others have major concerns such as gas and bloating.

There are several reasons why beans and legumes can cause gas and bloating but a major reason is the indigestible sugars found within. These sugars are called oligosaccharides, a simple sugar attached to a short chain of other simple sugars. Unfortunately our bodies lack the enzyme to break up these chains. The chains are too large to be absorbed into the large intestine and as a result bacteria starts to feed on the undigested sugars. In turn this causes symptoms of gas and bloating (metabolic by-product of bacteria eating undigested sugars).

The good news is that there are always solutions…

One solution would be to take a supplement containing the enzyme capable of breaking up oligosaccharides. There are several products out there, for example: beano.

Another solution (my personal favourite, although it is time consuming) is to cook your own beans and soak them in cold water. Oligosaccharides are water-soluble and the soaking process will help to release them. Soak the beans for at least 8 hours before cooking (preferably 24 hours), drain the water and rinse the beans in advance to rid them of the oligosaccharides. You can also decrease uncomfortable digestive symptoms by adding in Kombu (a Japanese seaweed found in any health food store) during the cooking process.

A third solution is to try fermenting or sprouting beans, this will typically cause less issues because the fermenting process will break the oligosaccharides bonds. Once the bonds are broken there is no need for the bacteria to feed inside the large intestine, which also avoids the gas and bloating.

Another reason for bloating and gas associated with beans could be a diet low in fibre, symptoms are worsened when beans are consumed. It is recommended to increase fibre gradually as to avoid a large shock to the intestinal system.  Don’t totally give up on beans if you have these symptoms initially. Increase overall fibre intake through fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds, flax, hemp seeds, etc. and slowly re-integrate beans.

Cooking Instructions for cooking your own beans:

Step 1: Soak beans for a minimum of 8 hours in cold water, leave in refrigerator.

Step 2: Drain and rinse the beans(discard water beans soaked in)

Step 3: To a large saucepan add 3 cups of fresh (unsalted) water to every 1 cup of beans, bring water to a boil in cover pot and then reduce to simmer, tilt cover to add steam out and cook until beans are tender (depending on the bean can be up to 1 hour). Check regularly.

***If you are going to eat canned beans I recommend the brand Eden Organic because they use Kombu in their cooking process.

Classic Hummus Recipe:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 4 tsp. tahini
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• chopped parsley to top.

1.     Follow instructions above for soaking and cooking chickpeas.

2.     Add garlic cloves to food processor and pulse until minced,

3.     Add chickpeas, tahini, salt, lemon juice. Pulse and hen slowly add olive oil

4.     When mixed top with paprika and chopped parsley.

The other snacks featured in this video:

Go Macro and Biosteel Nutrition Bars: Both GA (ginger approved) healthy nutritious bars.

Prana Trail Mixes:  The key is to choose trail mix with a higher percentage of unsalted/unsweetened nuts and seeds and a lower percentage of dried fruit or chocolate. I will admit that I do love the Prana-Kilimanjario mix because of the 70% dark chocolate.

Prana Coconut Chips: I love coconut and as mentioned in the video, coconut is a great source of healthy fats.

Beretta Farms Beef Jerky: This product is great for those jerky and meat stick lovers out there. Not only is the family amazing, they produce the most amazing beef jerky, raised without antibiotics or hormones.

Green Juice: I usually make my own but there are also a ton of different places that offer green juices such as: Live Organic (in video), Budda Jucie Co, Rawlicious Juice, Greenhouse juice etc.

I hope you enjoyed this video. Please leave your comments and let us know what is in your snack bag!

Sylvie(OG Lifestyles)