Aside from being high in fiber, beans have always been the butt of many jokes. I went straight to the source and asked Heinz why…
Dear Heinz Beanz Team:
Please answer this question once and for all: Do beans really make people fart?
I live in Florida and beans are used a lot in Cuban recipes. So I’ve been to many gatherings where I’m afraid someone might light a match and the entire dining room could burst into flames. There’s only so much you can blame on the dog. When the evening ends, you’re afraid to ride in the elevator with anyone, even members of your immediate family.
Do you have any proof that supports this bean flatulence theory or is it just a bunch of poppycock? What role can a diet rich in Heinz Beans play in my digestive system?
Have you considered moving Heinz from Pittsburgh to Beantown? It can only build on the legendary history started there by Boston Baked Beans.
A Consumer Resource Center Representative from Heinz North America responded with:
In answer to your question, there is an enzyme in beans that will indeed trigger bouts of flatulence. We recommend that further research be done on an internet search engine such as Google. We hope you find this helpful.
Final Thoughts: I took the representative’s advice, Googled gas and started searching for information supporting The Big Boom Theory. It’s not clear what enzyme in beans he was talking about that triggers flatulence. If there is one, I couldn’t find it.
What I learned is that beans contain complex sugars called oligosaccharides. As beans are being digested, the enzyme humans need to break down those sugars is alpha-galactosidase … and we don’t have any. Of course, you should do your own research because my teachers always told me mine stunk. Then again, gas from beans stinks, so this research should pass, which gas also does, meaning there are many synergies at work here. What that all really means gets complicated, so feel free to verify it with your nutritionist, gastroenterologist or local gas company.
Until now, I really didn’t know beans about gas. These articles should help get you started: “Gassing Up,” “Anti-Gas Cooking Tips” (scroll to the bottom), “Seeking low-gas beans” and “Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit: How To Eat Them Without the Flatulence” (Apparently, beans are botanically a fruit, used as a vegetable and they’re also legumes, but it’s going to take a whole other letter and more research to sort that out).
If you’ve got a taste — and the stomach — for beans, consider Heinz Beans. Although when you get wind of information about a product you’re not sure about, there are at least two things you can do: Google it and Write The Company.
