Sadly, rajma (red kidney bean) is not bae, at least for me.
I know I might draw lot of flak for this statement, but I am sorry Rajma chawal doesn’t make me happy. In fact, it makes me feel bloated and gassy. Now, legumes comprise of pulses, beans, soyabeans, peas and they are a good source of protein, fibre and carbohydrates. However, there are two very critical points to address:
- Bioavailability of plant-based protein. This means that the body’s ability to break down and absorb protein from animal sources is higher as compared to from plant sources.
- The abdominal discomfort, flatulence, stomach-ache experienced by many people after consuming legumes and this might affect their protein consumption.
In this post I will address both the points.
You must have heard people complain of flatulence and stomach discomfort after eating chickpeas, beans, peas and pulses at night. This happens because legumes contain a particular sugar called Oligosaccharide and the human body lacks the required enzyme to break this sugar down. This then reaches the large intestine where it is broken down by the gut bacteria and this process causes fermentation and gas. This causes abdominal discomfort. To avoid this, soak the beans overnight in surplus water and ‘throw’ the water away the next morning. Soaking helps in leeching out some of the oligosaccharides. Also, soaking rajma (red kidney beans), white and black chana (chickpeas) improve protein digestibility (more on that below). Secondly, use spices like hing (asafoetida) while cooking as it helps relieve gas and abdominal discomfort. Avoid pairing beans and legumes with raw veggies as this can aggravate stomach gas.
A research study found that pre-soaking legumes and then pressure cooking vs. baking or microwaving them increases the digestibility of protein. So even if you are making a 3-bean salad, soak them and pressure cook them for 15 minutes (or longer depending on the quantity) before you stir them with some delicious accompaniments. Also, legumes are not a complete source of protein which means they do not have all the essential amino acids in them. So, pair them with rice, roti, bread or quinoa to make them a complete protein.