Beans, beans, the musical food. The more you eat, the more you…well, you know the rest of the saying. You’ve most likely been advised to eat beans at some point in your life, because they’re full of protein, fiber, and micronutrients. As good for you as they may be, though, eating beans often comes with unwanted gastrointestinal side effects, such as bloating and gas, that prevent people from including them in their diet. The same goes for many nutrient-dense foods, unfortunately, but I’ve got some really good news: How you prepare these foods can make a huge difference in how well you digest and absorb their nutrients.
Here’s how to prep a few common kitchen staples notorious for causing gut discomfort, in order to maximize their health benefits and keep your digestion smooth.
Legumes
Legumes include beans, lentils, and peas. Their high protein and fiber content is useful for promoting satiety (which can help with weight maintenance and/or loss) and lowering the glycemic impact of foods (helping to regulate blood sugars). However, legumes also contain compounds that can be hard on the gut. Prebiotic fibers called galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) cause many people to experience gas and bloating after eating beans. While these fibers feed good bacteria in the gut, some people don’t tolerate them well.
Read More: How To Make Supplementing With Fiber More Enjoyable
Soaking raw beans and lentils (generally overnight) before cooking them can significantly reduce the quantity of these substances in your finished meal, making beans a much more enjoyable experience. In addition to improving digestibility, soaking your legumes can also help reduce other anti-nutrients such as lectins, oxalates, and phytic acid—all of which impair the absorption of the minerals in beans and other foods containing them.
Your Move: Put your legumes in a large pot and add warm water at a 4:1 ratio (four cups of water for every cup of legumes). Let them sit overnight or for at least eight hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
Grains
Whether it’s wheat, rice, or quinoa, whole grains also contain a good number of anti-nutrient compounds that can impair your digestion and nutrient absorption. Studies have shown that soaking your grains can reduce phytic acid levels while increasing mineral bioavailability (especially iron and zinc). Soaking and then cooking grains has an even more profound effect.
Sprouting or fermenting grain products can also reduce phytic acid content, making your nutrients more readily available and your end product more digestible. Yep, there’s something to the sourdough craze beyond flavor, after all!
Your Move: Put your grains in a large pot or bowl, cover them with warm water, and let them sit overnight (or for at least eight hours). You can also add an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to help facilitate the process. Use approximately one tablespoon per cup of grains. Drain and rinse your grains before cooking.
Leafy Greens
Many vegetables contain the anti-nutrients known as phytates, oxalates, and nitrates, but some of the highest levels are found in leafy greens, including spinach, rhubarb, chard, and beet greens. These greens are particularly high in oxalates, which impair calcium absorption and contribute to kidney stone formation. Oxalates can also contribute to unpleasant gut issues, like bloating, constipation, and gas.
Cooking high-oxalate leafy greens is the best way to reduce oxalate content. In fact, steaming or boiling your greens can reduce oxalates by up to 87 percent. So, instead of eating these greens raw (sorry, spinach salads!), do your best to prepare them as a cooked dish more often than not.
Read More: How To Get Enough Calcium When Dairy Is Off The Table
Your Move: Boil or steam your greens until they are wilted. Boiling reduces oxalates the most, but steaming will best preserve more of the other nutrients these green goodies contain.
The Takeaway
Whole foods are always the way to go when it comes to maximizing long-term health and reducing disease risk. However, some whole foods are digested better and offer a better nutrient profile when prepared in certain ways. It takes a little extra time, but the improved gut comfort and better nutrient absorption make it worthwhile!
Rebekah Feemster, R.D.N., L.D.N., is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a passion for food and fitness. She also holds a Certificate in Adult Weight Management from the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Rebekah has experience working in hospitals, corporate wellness, fitness and rehab facilities, and holistic health. Rebekah finds joy in sharing her nutrition knowledge and helping others develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. When she’s not talking about (or making) food, you’ll find her outside doing yoga, hiking, or tending her backyard chickens.