Baked beans are known to be nutritious and a good source of fibre and therefore good for your digestive system. However, as they work their way through your body they also produce the rather unfortunate effect of wind (or flatulence).
This is because of carbohydrate compounds in the beans called galacto-oligosaccharides which we can’t use for enegy but microbes can. When these compounds reach the large intestine, they become fuel for the gut bacteria, or microbiome, and are fermented. Fermentation produces energy for the microorganisms as well as gasses such as hydrogen and methane which naturally have to escape as wind!
If however, you feel you suffer from excessive wind and bloating and it’s not all baked bean related, some people are known to have sugar intolerances which in fact can be quite debilitating.
A smple hydrogen and methane breath test can identify these carbohydrate intolerances or other conditions of the git such as SIBO. Should these be the issue, either a course of antibiotics or nutritional advice can put you on the path to a less windy, painful, upsetting and embarrassed existence.
