Vegetarians / vegans who eat beans.... ?

Question

do you use "beano"??

as a vegetarian i of course, incorporate beans in my diet a lot. however, in order to digest them i need to take beano before i eat them.... i guess i didn't think to check the label before i bought it and i see now that it is made with gelatin and 3 types of fish....

1. is there another product that people who can't digest beans well can take instead that doesnt' have animal products?

2. does anyone else find that frustrating?! i'm eating beans to avoid eating animals but if the medicine i have to take to eat them has animals in it... well i might as well have just eaten a meal with fish instead!!!!!

Answer 1

As a breastfeeding mom I had to learn a few tricks, especially when I switched to vegetarian, and included beans more often! I never used beano, so can't really help you on that dilemma!

1.) During the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans (if you soak and cook them, not from the can) throw a large carrot in there, to absorb a lot of that stuff that causes gassiness. Remove the carrot, toss into compost or trash and rinse your beans well!

2.) Again when fully cooking, not from can, change the water at least every hour, but sometimes more, and rinse the beans thoroughly each change. This will prolong your cooking, but worth it!

3.) Ginger is said to also take care of the gassiness in both canned and home cooked beans, but I have yet to figure out how much to use without getting the ginger taste (especially when you have little ones who dislike the spicy hint), so don't use that choice for myself!

Answer 2

No, I didn't know that.  But I don't use Beano, I just deal with the, erm, "consequences".

1. I don't know

2. I'm going to take issue with your logic here.  "a meal with fish" would contain what, like 8oz of fish?  And that one Beano capsule probably contained less than 0.1oz of fish.  So I'd say it would take at least 80 Beanos before you "might as well have just eaten a meal with fish instead".  But I agree with you, it's still not pleasant to think you've eaten any quantity of fish.

Answer 3

Try adding Ajwain to your legume based dishes it is a spice from India (roughly tastes like celery seed) that aids in the digestion of legumes and prevents the discomfort. I use about 2 tablespoons per pot and it really makes a difference. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Whoa! Thanks for that info on the Beano. I had no idea. Seems so counterproductive. I never liked it anyway.

Try savory herbs which have been used for centuries in foods to counteract these effects. To reduce flatulence and intestinal symptoms cook with herbs and spices such as fennel, anise, turmeric, lemongrass, dill, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley, hing, carom seed, epazote, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, and cumin.

The body also gradually adapts with increased consumption so keep eating with the good news that vegetarians have a better smell to them overall including breath.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16891...

http://www.happycow.net/blog/?p=178

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.asp...

Cardamon in particular is a great one to chew on for breath issues such as garlic, onion or the like.

However, digestive bitters might be your best bet for the beans. They can be added to some water or soda, or tonic water. Not even bad on their own (a half teaspoon or so with each meal). I've known people to get a lot of relief not just for the gas but bloating, aching, feeling nauseated, burping, heartburn, and more. Plus bitters are natural. They do have some alcohol but it is like vanilla extract has some alcohol. I can buy them off the same store shelf.

Another alternative (or in addition to the bitters) is to add a good, strong chai tea to your daily diet. Masala Chai has a lot of the same herbs that are suggested above and which are considered to ease digestion. I make a batch every few days with a loose masala chai mix of black tea bought from the bulk section, to which I add crushed fresh (though dried) spices of cardamon, whole star anise, whole clove, pepper corns, cinnamon stick, ginger, nutmeg, and orange peel (if you make your own masala chai you'll need more spices but it's probably less expensive) Break up the whole spices a bit to help them release their essence in either a mortar & pestle or, as I do, a small deep bowl and bottom of a glass, and throw in the water, bring to a boil, remove from the heat, put loose tea in, let steep for 10 minutes or so. Strain off into another container (not plastic as it leaches), let cool then refrigerate (as much as several days as you use it up). Take out what you want, when you want it and add a bit of vanilla soy milk (or milk alternative of your choice -- Organic Valley does an amazing one but Pacific and Eden are very good) in a 1 to 1 or 1 part milk to 2 parts tea mix. Put in a bit of sugar of your choice (demara is good) to sweeten just a bit and drink as is, chilled, or heated up. If heated you can add powdered cinnamon for added taste and health benefits (great for regulating blood sugar better -- for some reason cinnamon doesn't incorporate into a chilled drink instead just sitting on top).

Dried herbs and spices can be bought from the bulk sections of many stores these days including at stores like Whole Foods, and even better co-ops/health food stores, or Indian/Mexican stores (probably even Asian stores). This makes it nice as one can buy in tiny amounts to find out if the spice is even liked and then more can be bought for much less money than the pre-packaged spices (price per pound can seem outrageous such as $25 but spices are rarely heavy so usually no more than a dollar or two -- there is a produce store near me that packages spices up in 25 cent bags). Hing in particular is very strong so a very little can go a long way taste-wise.

Answer 5

I respect your beliefs but it doesn't sound like you have many options.  If you can't digest the beans, maybe the beano isn't such a bad thing.  It may have fish oil in (which by the way, is supposed to be very good for you) but some vegetarians will still eat fish.  Either way, you don't sound like you have that many options.  

There is always Tofu.  Sorry, but it sounds like there has to be some kind of compromise if you want to use the Beano (and to my knowledge there is no alternative to Beano)

Answer 6

no never... you aren't a vegg if you eat meat

Answer 7

If you increase your consumption of raw fruits and vegetables, your digestive system will be better equipped to deal with the beans.

And almost all cosmetics have animal ingredients, unless you get makeup online or at Whole Foods.  For instance:

"Guanine is a crystalline material obtained from fish scales. In cosmetics and personal care products"

Cosmetics such as foundations and lipsticks will usually contain gelatin.  Moisturizing products, including foundations and concealers, generally contain animal fats.  Many also contain collagen, which is a fibrous protein derived from animal tissue.

Many cosmetics also contain oleic acid, mink oil, hyaluronic acid, (derived from umbilical cords and fluids around joints) placenta, monoglycerides, lard, stearic acid (fat from cows and sheep and from dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters) lecithin, or stearyl alcohol (generally derived from sperm whale oil)

Answer 8

Bean-zyme is a vegan form of Beano.

or use digestive enzymes

Answer 9

Okay.  Let's get serious.  First of all, you have to think about how "vegetarian" you are... because like it or not, we all eat tiny insects and insect parts with our vegetables.  There's no denying it.  They are little, but they are there.  So does their tinyness make it okay or not?

Also, lots of lipstick companies use fish scales in their lip stick because it makes the best glitter know to exist.  It just true.

So really, I doubt that the Beano company is killing boatloads of fish to put into their little pills.  You have to decide for yourself how much "I don't eat anything with a face" you can tolerate on a personal level, and how much you can tolerate farting on a social level.

Answer 10

Chamomile tea helps your body digest beans - no gas!

Answer 11

I'm fine eating beans but I always soak them and boil them with the lid off. I was told it releases some of the gas trapped in them.That might help you. I just do it because beans smell weird and that lets go of the smell.