The FBC Guide to Using Dried Beans

What do you do when you’ve been diagnosed with a food allergy and your favourite foods are taken away? Fear not! Each month FBC member and certified nutritionist, Sondi Bruner, takes a look at how to adapt to an allergen-friendly diet, while still eating delicious and healthy food. This month she explores dried beans, those nutritional powerhouses that are being celebrated in the International Year of Pulses.

Back in 2016, The United Nations declared it to be the International Year of Pulses.

But I think I speak for many of us when I say that every year is the year of the pulse. Dried beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas are small powerhouses of nutrition and we Canadians have a long history of growing them. Of course, I'm happy to see beans and legumes get the recognition they so richly deserve — and proud that Canada is one of the top growers of these wonderful foods. Last year, Canada exported six million tons of pulses — that's a lot of bean power (and perhaps a lot of toots, though we'll get to that later).

Pulses are members of the legume family, but specifically legumes that are dried. Pulses include dried beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas, and each of these four categories includes a variety of sub-types that have their unique shapes, colours and uses. Check out Pulse Canada for a handy visual to keep it all straight.

Some of you may want to consume more beans, but have a hard time digesting them. Due to their high content of complex carbohydrates, protein and fibre, beans can be a gas-inducing struggle. We aren't able to completely break down a particular type of carbohydrate in beans, called oligosaccharides, with our digestive enzymes. Instead, oligosaccharides are dismantled in the colon through fermentation; hence those uncomfortable and embarrassing results.

There are ways to make beans easier to digest. Here's how:

Use dried beans. There are a few things you can do during the cooking process to make beans more digestible. When you buy canned beans, you miss out on the opportunity to do this.

Rinse the beans well before cooking. It might be tempting to simply transfer the beans and their soaking water to a pot on the stove. But don't! During the soaking process, compounds such as the oligosaccharides and phytic acid are released (phytic acid binds to some nutrients, which prevents absorption). Rinsing before cooking allows you to wash away some of these compounds. Scooping off the scum that rises to the top of the pot while cooking helps, too.

Add digestive helpers to the cooking pot. When you boil the beans, try adding digestive herbs and spices like fresh or ground ginger, cumin seeds or fennel seeds. Tossing in a piece of dried seaweed works wonders as well. It tenderizes the beans and I've personally found this to be the most effective at improving digestibility. I like to use dried kombu, but any seaweed will do.

Experiment with different types of beans. In one study of bean consumption, about 50 percent of participants reported more flatulence and bloating after eating baked beans and pinto beans, while only 19 percent found an increase after chowing on black-eyed beans. Since the information was self-reported, the study measured people's perceptions of having gas, not the gas itself (who would want that job, am I right?). In fact, the researchers said, "People's concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated. It is important to recognize there is individual variation in response to different bean types." Start experimenting! Figure out what types of beans work best for you, as well as the quantity. A quarter cup might mean digestive harmony, while a half cup causes things to get more 'musical.'

Add more fibre to your overall diet. Beans are packed to the brim with fibre. If you're having a ton of trouble with them, it's possible that your body isn't accustomed to processing fibre. Gradually boost your consumption of other fibre-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds and then try a small amount of beans again.

It's easy to throw beans into a soup, stew, or salad, but have you thought of sneaking them into your diet in unconventional ways?

Bean and lentil flours add instant protein and fibre to any recipe. If you have a high-speed blender, you could try making your own bean and lentil flours. I usually do this with lentils because they're so easy to blend. Don't try this with a regular blender; you'll be making a sad face when you break it.

Chickpea flour is a popular and widely available bean flour. It's used a lot in Indian cooking to make savory crepes, pancakes, pakoras and flatbreads. It's also the main ingredient of the popular Italian flatbread, socca. I always use socca as a pizza crust; it's easy, quick and sturdy, and when I make a batch for a party alongside a dip, I never have leftovers.

Bean flours are also a great gluten-free and grain-free substitution as a thickener in soups, gravies or stews. And they can make awesome dumplings!

Since bean flours are dense a little goes a long way, especially if you're using them in baking. They also have a strong flavour that can be overpowering in sweet goods. I recommend using a blend of flours in gluten-free baking anyway, so start by substituting 1/4 cup of bean flour and see how it goes. Keep in mind that bean flours are not light, so don't use them for things that need a flaky, delicate rise. However, they work incredibly well in cookies, bars, rolls, breads and flatbreads, muffins and scones.

How do you like to add beans, legumes or pulses to your everyday cooking? Please share in the comments!