Legumes such as beans, peas, and legumes are an essential part of Indian cuisine, and are considered extremely beneficial for health due to their rich protein and fiber content. But, many people experience symptoms like gas, bloating, cramping and Indigestion after eating them. Ayurvedic expert Dr Dimple Jangda took to Instagram to share the reasons.
According to the expert, pulses include:
*Indigestible in large quantities Carbohydrate (fiber)
*Phytic acid, which is the primary way to store phosphorus in beans, seeds, and nuts
* Hard beans such as kidney and navy beans also contain oligosaccharides. “This complex sugar is difficult to digest without help because humans do not produce the enzyme alpha-galactosidase needed to break it down properly,” she explained.
*When ingested, these oligosaccharides remain largely intact in the lower intestine, and ferment in the presence of anaerobic bacteria and produce carbon dioxide and methane gases, and in turn, swelling,
Agreeing with this, Dr. Vidhi Dhingra, Senior Dietitian, WeHealth by Aetna said, “Pulses contain large amounts of indigestible carbohydrates that irritate the stomach lining and result in gas build-up in the GI tract.”
Due to these properties, pulses are difficult to digest and require some special preparation methods before consumption. “Traditional cultures have eaten beans for thousands of years and used slow-food types of methods to make them more digestible. From fermentation to soaking germinationWe can learn a lot from these traditional cultures,” Dr Jangda said while sharing some simple tips to make your pulses more digestible.
soaking
Ayurvedic experts say that soaking beans helps to eliminate some of the phytic acid present in them. “To maximize the loss of phytic acid, soak Beans for at least 12 hours, even up to 24 hours.”
sprout
Thereafter, he suggested sprouted pulses like Masur lentils and garbanzo beans for 48 hours. The longer they are soaked, the easier they will be to digest.
He suggests adding “carminative spices” when cooking lentils (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
alkaline water
Sharing the most suitable method of soaking pulses to make them stomach friendly, Dr Jangda said, “Soak in very hot, alkaline water. Squeeze a little lemon into the water and keep changing the water frequently. Drain the water, cover the lentils with excess water, to rinse, strain, and then cover again with lots of hot water Soak up Changing the water too often allows you to discard any nutrients you may have lost from the beans.”
cook them slowly
Another essential tip is to cook your own Lentils “It gives them time to break down those tough-to-digest fibers” over low heat for too long.
carminative spices
She suggested adding “carminative spices” like cumin, fennel, coriander. Cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, grated ginger, black pepper, fennel and a pinch of asafoetida. “It aids in the digestion process and removes excess gas from these beans,” she said.
Dhingra said that “it is better to take a walk after eating dal instead of sitting in one place”, adding that one can opt for dal and dal as they are easier to digest than chole, urad dal, rajma .
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