Lentils and legumes are an important source of protein, especially for vegetarians. However, we should all include the permitted amounts of these because they are also a great source of prebiotics, which are necessary to regulate the gut bacteria. Unfortunately, the vast majority are high Fodmap, but in this video, I discuss a couple of them that are low Fodmap in certain amounts.
Transcription of Lentils & Legumes on the Low Fodmap Diet
Today I want to talk a little bit about the legumes and pulses that you can eat on the Low FODMAP Diet. We can’t eat a lot, but for the vegetarians among us, it’s really important that we can have some of these because they’re a great source of protein and fiber. We can have quarter of a cup of canned chickpeas. They do have to be canned because in the process of the canning, many of the FODMAPs – the FODMAPS, by the way, in chickpeas are the galacto-oligosaccharides – and many of those come out into the liquid. If you drain and wash the chickpeas that have been canned, you can have a quarter of a cup. But don’t try to have any of the fresh chickpeas because that process won’t have happened.
It’s exactly the same thing with the lentils, except you can have half a cup of lentils as long as they’re canned. Again, rinse them and drain them, and that gets rid of some at least of the FODMAPs in them. Half a cup’s a fair amount, so if I were a vegetarian, I would definitely be incorporating them into my diet. If you want to have the fresh lentils, you have half that amount. That means you can only have a quarter of a cup, which is perhaps not quite enough food for you, especially not enough protein.
Do not touch any of the other beans or pulses, they are all high FODMAP with no exceptions. The problem with galacto-oligosaccharides is that nearly all of us have a problem with them. And I’m not just talking about people with IBS, but also people without IBS. We don’t absorb them well and that’s why we all know about the problem of gassiness with beans, but others don’t suffer that much from it. We do with our over-sensitive bowels; we feel all of that extra gas as something terrible. And it could really disturb the function of our bowels. So, do stay away from them. If you want to, in the reintroduction stage, you can certainly test them. It’s not a test that I necessarily do with my clients because I fairly much know what the result is going to be. But that doesn’t prevent you, especially if you’re a vegetarian, from testing a slightly higher amount than the half a cup of lentils. I do hope that’s been helpful, goodbye.
A U.S. product “Beano” has been on the market for decades and is approved and does work. I’m careful not to overdo it, but I love beans, and now I can enjoy them.
Thanks for your comment but unfortunately, Beano is high Fodmap because it contains mannitol. It is possible you don’t have an issue with mannitol though and so it doesn’t affect you negatively.
There are generic/store brand versions of Beano that don’t contain mannitol. I’m in the States and purchase from Target or Wal-Mart.
That’s good to know.
We have no easy access to canned beans in my region. Can they be cooked well and rinsed as an alternative? If so, how long and at what tempera ture would you recommend for garbanzo and lentils to reduce the FODMAP content and perhaps mimicking the canning process?
We can not mimic the canning process by boiling them for a long time. So, stick to 1/4 a cup, as mentioned in my video. You can always test higher amounts though. With a bit of luck, you may be able to tolerate a little more. Remember, the restriction is only per meal.
Suzanne, First, thanks for all the great information! How about
1. If I soak the beans overnight? Or
2. How about beans that I pressure canned?
Apparently soaking does reduce the Fodmaps but you would have to test how effective that was for you and at what amount you could tolerate them once soaked. I have no information on pressure canning but again it is worth testing it.