If you follow the low FODMAP diet, you might know that beans can be trigger foods for people with IBS. Many types of beans contain a high amount of the FODMAP group Galacto-Oligosaccharides or GOS.
Because of that large servings of beans can better be avoided in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet. But luckily some kinds of beans have a low FODMAP serving.
So you don’t have to fully avoid beans when you are following a FODMAP diet.
In this blog, I will tell you all about beans and how you can incorporate them into your diet when you have IBS and eat low FODMAP.
Have you finished the reintroduction phase and do you know that you can tolerate galactans and, in some cases, fructans? Then you can enjoy some more beans in your meals.
Why is it good to incorporate some beans into your diet?
Beans are a good protein source. Especially if you eat vegetarian or vegan, they can be a great extra source of protein in your diet.
Next to that, they are high in fiber and beans are also nutritious for the good bacteria in your gut. So eating some beans now and then is beneficial.
But as you might know, beans can cause gas. Even for people who don’t have IBS, beans are known to create some gas in your intestines.
Luckily, you can eat some beans in small amounts on the low FODMAP diet. And I would definitely recommend adding some beans to your diet in moderation if you can tolerate them.
What FODMAP can be found in beans?
Beans contain a high amount of the FODMAP group oligosaccharides. The “O” in the word FODMAP.
Oligosaccharides are broken down in the body by the enzyme alpha-galactosidase. But the interesting thing is that our digestive system lacks the enzyme alpha-galactosidase that breaks down those carbohydrates completely.
And that causes bloating and gas. The interesting thing is that this doesn’t only happen for people with IBS, but for all people. Which is why most people experience some discomfort after eating a lot of beans.
Beans that should be avoided
There are some kinds of beans that don’t have a low FODMAP serving size, so those should be avoided. I’ll also include peas and lentils in this list because they are all pulses:
- Baked beans
- Borlotti beans, canned
- Broad beans
- Fava beans
- Haricot beans, boiled
- Navy beans, boiled
- Red kidney beans, boiled
- Split peas, boiled
- Soy beans, boiled
- Chickpea, dried & sprouted
Beans that have a low FODMAP serving
The following kinds of beans have a low FODMAP serving. As you can see, in some cases canned beans have a higher low FODMAP serving than the dried version.
This is because when beans and lentils are canned, some of the FODMAPs in the food leak into the water in the can. This lowers the amount of FODMAPs in the beans or lentils.
When eating canned beans, it is important to drain and rinse them well before using them. These are the beans and pulses that have a low FODMAP serving:
Adzuki, black beans & kidney beans
- Adzuki beans, dried & boiled: 1/5 cup (35 grams)
- Adzuki beans, canned: 1/4 cup (38 grams)
- Butter beans, canned: 1/4 cup (35 grams)
- Black beans, fermented: 15 grams
- Black beans, dried & boiled: 2 tbsp (40 grams)
- Black beans, canned: 2 tbsp (40 grams)
- Black beans, refried, canned: 2 tbsp (34 grams)
- Black beans, Douchi, fermented: remains low FODMAP up to a serving of 500 grams
- Red kidney beans, sprouted: 1/6 cup (25 grams)
- Red kidney beans, canned: 86 grams
Butter, cannellini, lima, mung & pinto beans
- Cannellini bean, canned: 1/3 cup (76 grams)
- Lima beans, dried & boiled: 1/4 cup (39 grams)
- Moth beans, dried & boiled: 1 tbsp (25 grams)
- Mung beans, split, dried & boiled: 2 tbsp (49 grams)
- Mung beans, sprouted, whole & dried: 2/3 cup (95 grams)
- Mung beans, sprouts: remains low FODMAP up to a serving of 500 grams
- Mung beans, whole, dried & boiled: 1/4 cup (53 grams)
- Mung beans, vermicelli noodles: remains low FODMAP up to a serving of 500 grams
- Pinto beans, dried, boiled: 1 1/2 tbsp (23 grams)
- Pinto beans, refried, canned: 1/6 cup (45 grams)
- Pinto beans, canned: 2 tbsp (55 grams)
Green beans and peas
- Cluster/guar beans, frozen raw: remains low FODMAP in a serving size up to 500 grams
- Green bean, raw: 15 beans (75 grams)
- Indian valor beans, frozen: 3/4 cup (75 grams)
- Snakebeans/yardlong/asparagus bean: 1 cup (75 grams). Contains a moderate amount of GOS at servings of 250 grams or more.
- Pea, black eyed, dried & boiled: 21 grams
- Pea, blue, cooked: 35 grams
- Chana dahl pea, split, dried & boiled: 1/4 cup (46 grams)
- Toor dal pea, split, dried & boiled: 1/4 cup (36 grams)
- Urid dahl pea, split, dried & boiled: 1/2 cup (46 grams)
Chickpea’s and lentils
- Chickpeas / garbanzo beans, canned: 5 1/2 tbsp (80 grams)
- Chickpeas / garbanzo beans, dried & boiled: 1 1/2 tbsp (29 grams)
- Lentils, canned, drained: 46 grams
- Lentils green, boiled: 29 grams
- Lentils red, boiled: 23 grams
How to eat beans on the low FODMAP diet?
You might say, sounds nice, but 20 to 40 grams of beans is nothing. How will I incorporate beans into my diet?
You can add a spoonful of beans to your salads or mix a little bit into a rice dish that you are cooking.
I also love making my own hummus with chickpeas and I enjoy that in a small serving. Or I roast some chickpeas in the oven with some spices to get a crunchy snack.
Check out some low FODMAP recipes with beans and other pulses below:
How are you going to incorporate some beans into your diet?
Supplements to help your body break down oligosaccharides
There are supplements on the market that contain the enzyme alpha-galactosidase, the enzyme that breaks down oligosaccharides in the body.
These supplements can help the body to break down the oligosaccharides in beans and reduce symptoms.
An example of such a supplement is the Fibractase supplement by Intoleran.
Other blogs about the FODMAPs in foods
Would you like to read more about whether certain foods are low FODMAP and in what quantities? Check out the ingredients category on my blog. Or take a look at some of the articles below:
3 Comments
Thank you for keeping this short and simple! Great info and explanation! Looking forward to getting the low fodmap beans back in the rotation.
If I eat lentils in a meal, can I also eat another low fodmap bean in that same meal or should I eat only one bean type per meal? Thank you!
You should be careful with foods that contain the same FODMAP group. If you use them together in the meal, you stack the FODMAPs and you can get complaints. For example: butter beans and lentils both contain the FODMAP group GOS. In the elimination phase, I would stick with one type of bean per meal (or small portions that don’t go over the safe serving size when you add them up together).