Raffinose: why beans give you gas

Have you ever had beans and immediately got gas? Red, kidney, garbanzo. All might have had the same effect.

Have you wondered why?

The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in the foods we eat.

More specifically something called Raffinose.

Fret not if you have never heard the term. You are about to find out.

Raffinose is a trisaccharide composed of galactose, glucose, and fructose. A trisaccharide is a three molecules combined, in case you are wondering.

Beans in particular, but other foods such as cabbage, broccoli and asparagus have raffinose.

As these foods make your way down your digestive tract, it makes its way through your small intestine into your large one.

There bacteria break down raffinose, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane.

What you and I know as gas.

It is not just beans. In truth, a wide variety of sugars including lactose, fructose and sorbitol also produce gas. So does the consumption of fiber.

The reason is simple. The bacteria in your gut are feeding on them and gas is simply the by product.

So what can you do?

Most people simply avoid eating these food groups. Which is fine. But ideally you want to be able to eat what you like without adverse outcomes.

Indians famously soak their legumes before they cook it. Soaking breaks down some of the raffinose making it easier to digest without reducing the nutrition. Ideally, for at least twelve to fourteen hours.

Adding baking soda also does the same thing.

Boiling cruciferous vegetable for a brief while before you consume it, typically removes the sugar.

Adding digestives such as ginger helps. Indians famously eat ginger pickle with food. Our traditional foods are amazingly well designed.

It is only when we stress our capacity beyond its limits, that we end up suffering.

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