How to Make Beans Gut Friendly
There is a process to make beans and legumes easier on the digestive system and helpful for followers of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).
- Soak beans for 10 – 12 hours at room temperature to remove indigestible sugars. Discard and change the water.
- Hard boil with skimming to remove undigestible compounds and starches; boiling is the key to their removal – not simmering or slow cooking.
- Slow simmer to complete the cooking process and get them to the preferred texture.
- Store the legumes for future use.
Cheers to toot-free beans!
What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, SCD, provides intestinal health by eliminating grain, gluten, refined sugar, and some dairy. Followers can thrive on a varied diet that often reduces symptoms and allows the healing of an inflamed intestinal tract. The diet follows the research of Elaine Gottschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle Intestinal Health Through Diet.
Specific Carbohydrate Diet
If you’ve been on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) as a beginner or semi-pro, you are familiar with researching ingredients before eating them. Even with all your diligence in following the diet, your gut may tell you something went array. There are many nuances to following the diet correctly, and beans are no exception. I recently made soup with Navy beans that did not agree with me. I gave a bowl to my hubby, and he had the same experience. So, I knew it wasn’t just my troubled digestive system. I soaked them for 12 hours, drained and rinsed them, and added them to a soup that simmered for 90 minutes.
- Did I buy the correct beans?
- Did I eat them too soon in the healing process?
- Did I soak them too long or not long enough?
- Did I not cook them long enough?
Know Your Beans
I researched comments on SCD Communities and found some additional tips: a) changing the soaking water several times can be helpful if you are soaking during the day, b) hard boiling the legumes, and c) skimming the foam that forms to remove the indigestible starches. Note: these tips are not in Elaine’s book.
It's All in the Details
I scoured through the comments and suggestions and created a quick reference chart and recipe to keep handy for future meals. This is one of those processes where details are important. Beans go by many names and have various soaking requirements and cooking methods. It is gut-wrenching to keep it all straight. Beans take time to cook properly, so making extra for handy meal prepping is another crucial step.
When Can you Introduce Beans into the SCD Diet?
Legumes can be eaten on the SCD after three months without symptoms. If you are ready to introduce beans into the diet, congratulations. Adding legumes to your diet is a great strategy to improve your health and budget.
Legumes - Nutritional Powerhouses
Legumes (dried peas, lentils, and beans) add protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. They can help us feel fuller, balance blood sugar, and reduce constipation. Cooking dried beans for meal prep provides the following:
- control of ingredients like salt & spices
- ensure they are soaked and appropriately cooked for SCD
- make extra servings to store in the fridge or freezer to help with meal planning
- saves money
What Beans are Allowed on the SCD?
Try any of these legumes after three months and no symptoms, and check the legal illegal list on the Breaking the Vicious Cycle website before eating.
- Lentils
- Split Peas
- Dried Beans: Lima, Navy, Red Kidney.
- Black beans – try after the gut has healed.
Which Dried Legumes are Illegal on the SCD?
Illegal dried beans include cannellini, chic peas, great northern, faba, fava, fazolia, garbanzo, mung beans, soybeans, white kidney, broad bean, Windsor, horse, English, fool, foul, feve, faba, haba, black azuki, black adzuki, aduki, asuki, pinto. This is not an extensive list since they go by many names in different regions and counties; check the legal and illegal list on the Breaking the Vicious Cycle website before purchasing, cooking, and eating.
How to Cook Dried Legumes for Gut-Friendly Meal Prep
Stovetop Cooking
The following times are a guide. Beans are better under soaked than oversoaked and better overcooked than undercooked. If the beans are too soft or firm, adjust the simmer time during the 2nd boil. However, do not reduce the initial rapid boil time.
2 Cups Dried Beans, Rinsed (16-0z or 454 grams) | Soak overnight in 8 cups of water | 1st Cook: Rapid Boil (Minutes) * Do not reduce time | 2nd Cook: Simmer (Minutes) * Can adjust for texture preference |
Split Peas | 10 – 12 hours | 10 – 15 | 30 – 35 |
Whole Green & Brown Lentils | 10 – 12 hours | 15 – 20 | 15 – 30 |
Whole Green Peas | 10 – 12 hours | 15 – 20 | 45 – 75 |
Lima Beans | 10 – 12 hours | 15 – 20 | 45 – 75 |
Navy Beans, aka white haricot, Yankee bean, white pea bean, pearl haricot, Boston bean, pea bean, small white bean, fagioli | 10 – 12 hours | 15 – 20 | 35 – 45 |
Red Kidney Beans | 15 – 20 | 15 – 20 | 30 – 35 |
Black Beans aka turtle, black turtle, Mexican black, Spanish black, frijole negro* | 10 – 12 hours | 15 – 20 | 35 – 45 |
Pressure or Instant Pot Cooking
The following times are a guide. Beans are better under soaked than oversoaked and better overcooked than undercooked. If the beans are too soft or firm, adjust the simmer time during the 2nd boil. However, do not reduce the initial rapid boil time.
2 Cups Dried Beans, Rinsed 16 oz or 454 grams | Overnight Soaking | Rapid Boil Lid Off (Minutes) | Pressure Lid On (Minutes) |
Split Peas * | Stovetop recommended | Stovetop recommended | Stovetop recommended |
Whole Green & Brown Lentils | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 7 – 10 |
Whole Green Peas | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 20 – 25 high pressure & natural release |
Lima Beans | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 20 – 25 high pressure & natural release |
Navy Beans, aka white haricot, Yankee bean, white pea bean, pearl haricot, Boston bean, pea bean, small white bean, fagioli | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 15 high pressure & natural release |
Red Kidney Beans | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 10 – 15 high pressure & natural release |
Black Beans aka turtle, black turtle, Mexican black, Spanish black, frijole negro* | 10 – 12 hours | 15 | 15 high pressure & natural release |
* Cooking without a lid during the first cook reduces the frothing, which is helpful in the 2nd cook using the pressure lid.
* The cooking times for these products are short and do not benefit from pressure cooking.
Cooking Dried Legumes for Meal Prep
1
Rinse legumes under running water in a colander or mesh strainer.
2
Place in a stockpot or removable Instant Pot and cover with 8 cups of water; Soak for 8 - 10 hours.
3
Discard soaking water. Refill the cooking pot and begin rapid boil
4
Skim foam that comes to the surface several times throughout the boiling process.
5
Reduce heat to simmer on the stovetop or apply lid on the Instant pot and pressure cook.
6
Cool beans and store them in lidded containers or zip-lock bags—place in refrigerator or freezer.
Gut Friendly Bean Recipes
Cooking Dried Legumes for Gut Friendly Meal Prep
- Total Time: 11 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Beans are infamous for causing flatulence and bloating, even in the healthiest guts. Try this process for cooking dried legumes for meal prep. It makes them easier on the digestive system so everyone can enjoy the nutritional benefits without clearing the room.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried legal SCD legumes (lentils, split peas, lima beans, Navy beans, red kidney beans, black beans)
- 8 cups water for soaking
- 12 cups of water for boiling
- 2 cups additional water for simmering
Instructions
- Prepare Legumes. Wash the legumes under water in a colander or mesh strainer.
- Soak Legumes. Place legumes in a medium to large stock pot and cover with 8 cups of cold water. Soak for 10 – 12 hours at room temperature to remove undigestible sugars. DONT oversoak! More is NOT better. Once the enzyme inhibitors are deactivated sufficiently, oversoaking can cause changes in the legumes’ molecular structure which makes legumes harder to digest.
- 3A) Stovetop Rapid Boil. Discard soaking water by pouring contents through a strainer. Rinse the legumes thoroughly under running water. Place legumes back into the stock pot and cover with 10 – 12 cups of water. Place on medium/high heat and boil uncovered for 10 – 20 minutes – see chart for the specific legume time of 1st cook rapid boil. Skim and discard the foam on the surface while boiling. Boil for longer if foam continues to form. Do not reduce the time on the rapid boil.
3B) Instant Pot Rapid Boil Saute. Discard soaking water by pouring contents through a strainer. Rinse the legumes thoroughly under running water. Place legumes back into the pot and cover with 10 – 12 cups of water. Do not go past the halfway mark inside the pot. Place on saute and boil uncovered for 15 minutes. Skim and discard the foam on the surface. Boil for longer if foam continues to form. Do not reduce the time on the rapid boil. - 4A) Stovetop Simmer. Reduce heat and add 2 more cups of water to the pot. Simmer on low heat with the lid tilted for 15 – 75 minutes, depending on the chart time for the specific bean.
4B) Instant Pot Pressure Cook. Hit cancel to stop the rapid boil, lock the pressure cooker lid, and set the valve to pressure mode. Pressure cook for 7 – 25 minutes, depending on the chart direction for the specific legume. After pressure cooking, turn off the cooker and wait 10 minutes to allow the steam to release naturally. Carefully remove the lid allowing the steam to escape from you. - Add legumes to recipes. The legumes are ready to be eaten or added to recipes. Some recipes will simmer beans with other ingredients. This will make the beans very soft, which is your preference. I generally adjust recipes to add the beans at the end of the cooking to warm them through.
- Store Legumes. If you made extra for meal prep, cool legumes, place them in lidded containers and store them in the refrigerator or the freezer. Measure 1.5 cups of beans into lidded containers or freezer storage bags. This quantity will substitute for one 15-oz can, which is perfect for recipes. Remove the container from the freezer the night before or defrost it on the day of by soaking it in hot water. Beans are fresh for four days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer. Another freezer option is to lay cooked beans flat on a baking tray with sides and place them flat in the freezer. Then after a few hours, take the tray out and scoop the beans into a lidded freezer container or zip-lock bag. This makes them “loose” like frozen peas/sweetcorn rather than stuck together in a big chunk.
Notes
Nutritional information is based on Navy beans.
Beans should collapse under gentle pressure between the finger and thumb. Do not add salt while cooking. Salt makes the skin tough and consequently harder to digest.
The chart times are a guide. Beans are better under soaked than oversoaked and better overcooked than undercooked. If the beans are too soft or firm, adjust the simmer time during the 2nd boil. Do not reduce the initial rapid boil time, however.
Instant Pot – If the beans are too firm after pressure cooking, saute for a few more minutes and add water as necessary.
Instant pot: Cooking without a lid and skimming the foam during the first cook on the pressure cooker reduces the frothing, which is helpful in the 2nd cook using the pressure lid.
Cooked, drained, and pureed Navy beans make a good thickener for gravy and an extender for baked goods using nut flours.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soaking: 10 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Legumes
- Method: cooktop + pressure
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Navy beans, lentils, split peas, lima beans. red kidney beans, black beans, gut friendly beans, Specific Carbohydrate Diet. SCD
