Legumes

[cavernio]

Are they safe for super-sensitives?

I know someone on here always says they see various other grains in their dried beans or lentils or whatever. If I find these and just pick them out, would it be safe enough? If I get dried ones, there's always washing and soaking. Would that be enough for you?

Are there some brands that you're fine with, or ones that you simply can't trust?

 

 

 

 

[1desperateladysaved]

Thanks to Dilantesteph, I have been washing them 3 times in soap and water.  Rinse well.

[Adalaide]

I simply rinse mine. I have no problems.

[cavernio]

Thanks, I'll start using them again and give them a good scrubbing. I don't know if I'm super-sensitive (looks like my neuropathy might be), but until I have no symptoms, I think it's smart that I eat like one.

[louisewheatfree]

Thanks, I'll start using them again and give them a good scrubbing. I don't know if I'm super-sensitive (looks like my neuropathy might be), but until I have no symptoms, I think it's smart that I eat like one.

I grew up eating legumes.  We only cleaned them and soaked them overnight.  I read on websites that beans need to be  soaked for up to 48 hours and that the soaking water needs to be changed frequently.  Soak in warm water.  The last soaking water needs to have baking soda or vinegar added to it.  Checking around you can find out more about this.  

[dilettantesteph]

I've not have good luck finding safe ones.  Many say on the package that they were processed on lines that also process wheat.  Others tell me that when I contact them.  Rancho Gordo, last I checked used gluten free facilities, but were still problematic for me.  I would love to hear of really good source that works for very sensitive celiacs that is available in the U.S.  Washing helps a lot, but unless they are really good to start, it doesn't do enough for me.  Does anyone know of a source of beans that come from a bean only facility? 

[cavernio]

I grew up eating legumes.  We only cleaned them and soaked them overnight.  I read on websites that beans need to be  soaked for up to 48 hours and that the soaking water needs to be changed frequently.  Soak in warm water.  The last soaking water needs to have baking soda or vinegar added to it.  Checking around you can find out more about this.  

 

Ohhhhh I get it, finally! I couldn't understand why you were giving me cooking instructions for beans in the thread :-p I'm not actually worried about the gas from beans as being in response to gluten. My gluten symptoms are neurological, and I've been gluten-free for 10 months now and I still am not better, and I don't trust any glutinous food I eat to give me an immediate gluten response, particularly not an intestinal one.

 

Wish I could help you steph, the beans I buy are in New Brunswick, Canada. if you're in Maine you could take a road trip :-p I actually haven't confirmed with the company/farm itself about gluten status, but someone who was selling their beans in old milk bags (hence why I need these ones scrubbed regardless) at the farmers market said they didn't grow any grains. I will phone them tomorrow though and find out more specifics. They sell them in proper bags though too, labelled and printed on, found them at a grocery store I never go to.

[dilettantesteph]

My daughter is in Montreal, so if it is possible that she could get them there, could you pm me with the name?  Thanks

[IrishHeart]

I  simply rinse them and I have no issues.

 

I am a very sensitive celiac who would have gut pain, nausea, and whole host of issues,including neurological ones within hours if any gluten was "getting me".. 

 

I simply cannot imagine washing any foods in soap..  yuk.

 

What will adding soap do that pure water rinses will not?

Nothing. Sorry.

 

If you are having any problem with legumes, it's more likely your inability to digest them.

 

They wreak havoc on the digestive tract (even in non-celiacs). Thus, the crude, but realistic "bean/fart"  joke 

[GottaSki]

I'm a bit confused here....if you are rinsing legumes properly -- and are still having a "gluten-like" reaction -- my bet is you have an issue with digesting that particular legume.....I can't eat any - but that is me.

[jerseyangel]

I couldn't eat legumes of any kind for years. Made me so sick. After about 7 years gluten-free, I gingerly tried some again and now do ok with them in moderation.

I would be afraid to use soap on food personally, any residue would probably cause diarrhea. Whatever works

[Kamma]

I  simply rinse them and I have no issues.

 

I am a very sensitive celiac who would have gut pain, nausea, and whole host of issues,including neurological ones within hours if any gluten was "getting me".. 

 

I simply cannot imagine washing any foods in soap..  yuk.

 

What will adding soap do that pure water rinses will not?

Nothing. Sorry.

 

If you are having any problem with legumes, it's more likely your inability to digest them.

 

They wreak havoc on the digestive tract (even in non-celiacs). Thus, the crude, but realistic "bean/fart"  joke 

 

Soap is an excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into another immiscible liquid. This means that while oil (which attracts dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, soap can suspend oil/dirt in such a way that it can be removed more efficiently than using just water.

 

It's also highly recommended to wash all your produce / vegetables with 'produce washes' to more effectively remove pesticide residues.  

[GottaSki]

Soap is an excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into another immiscible liquid. This means that while oil (which attracts dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, soap can suspend oil/dirt in such a way that it can be removed more efficiently than using just water.

 

It's also highly recommended to wash all your produce / vegetables with 'produce washes' to more effectively remove pesticide residues.  

 

 

Pesticides are in the soil and therefore in the plant...how does soap on the surface remove pesticides that reside within the plant work?

[Kamma]

Pesticides are in the soil and therefore in the plant...how does soap on the surface remove pesticides that reside within the plant work?

 

Good point.  To clarify:  the washing is effective on removing the pesticides that are on the surface of the plant and not in the pesticides that have been incorporated into the plant while it was growing.

[IrishHeart]

I eat locally grown or organic and I wash them with warm water and brush with a veggie brush.

 

Pesticides are in the soil and therefore in the plant...how does soap on the surface remove pesticides that reside within the plant work?

 exactly!.

 

and my point was about rinsing the beans anyway-- the topic at hand..

 

I still cannot see washing berries, etc. with soap. Warm water rinses work fine.

 

Buy organic or local .... less chance of pesticides.

[Gemini]

Soap is an excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into another immiscible liquid. This means that while oil (which attracts dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, soap can suspend oil/dirt in such a way that it can be removed more efficiently than using just water.

 

It's also highly recommended to wash all your produce / vegetables with 'produce washes' to more effectively remove pesticide residues.  

  Produce washes, which I assume you are referring to the kind that you spray onto produce and then scrub and wash off, are citrus based.  I use them all the time to wash produce.  There is no soap in them at all because most people would gak over the thought of eating soap or soap residue on food.  The citrus acid in the wash will dissolve any waxes on fruit and wash away any nasties on the surface. 

 

As I have stated before, I am also extremely sensitive and have never used soap to wash anything I eat and haven't had any issues.  The vast majority of people who report a reaction to legumes are just having trouble breaking down the sugars in the legume.  This is why we have products like Beano on the market.  The reaction is the same as a gluten reaction.....gas, pain and even diarrhea.  You can also be intolerant of them and that may very well cause neuro symptoms in some. 

[dilettantesteph]

It is my experience that soap works better to remove gluten than plain water.  I don't like the idea of eating soap, so I rinse well.  I don't get diarrhea from using soap, I prevent diarrhea by using soap.  It is important to rinse well until there is no soap remaining.  I am glad for the people who don't need to use soap to not suffer gluten reactions.  Those of us who do need to do what works for us.

[IrishHeart]

And as always, this discussion (like all discussions on here) comes down to a personal decision to do what one may  "need", based on what makes someone have what they deem a "gluten reaction" from a food that does not inherently contain gluten.

 

 

We will all have to agree to disagree, I think.

 

And continue to take whatever precautions one deems necessary.

 

To each his/her own.

[dilettantesteph]

And as always, this discussion (like all discussions on here) comes down to a personal decision to do what one may  "need", based on what makes someone have what they deem a "gluten reaction" from a food that does not inherently contain gluten.

 

 

We will all have to agree to disagree, I think.

 

And continue to take whatever precautions one deems necessary.

 

To each his/her own.

I agree.  I  DON'T need to agree to disagree.  LOL

 

edited to add the don't that I thought I had put there to begin with.

[IrishHeart]

I agree.  I  need to agree to disagree.  LOL

 

 well said.

[dilettantesteph]

Maybe I should have said "I already agree to disagree."  I've really never had much difficulty with disagreeing in this situation.

 

It is very clear to me that celiacs vary and that what works for some does not work for all.  Not everyone needs to take the precautions that I take, and not everyone can eat the things that less sensitive ones can eat.

 

I don't remember your exact quote Irishheart.  Something like there isn't a one size fits all diet.

[IrishHeart]

Maybe I should have said "I already agree to disagree."  I've really never had much difficulty with disagreeing in this situation.

 

It is very clear to me that celiacs vary and that what works for some does not work for all.  Not everyone needs to take the precautions that I take, and not everyone can eat the things that less sensitive ones can eat.

 

I don't remember your exact quote Irishheart.  Something like there isn't a one size fits all diet.

 

 

 I have said this disease is not a "one size fits all"---- in regards to symptoms, healing times, complications and various food intolerances.

I wish I were one of the ones who goes off gluten and "all's well in the land". Some of us take more time.

[cavernio]

That bean company doesn't seem to want to call me back or answer their phone :-/

[Chaff]

For what it's worth, I suggest getting a gluten-free testing kit and checking to see if your beans are safe after washing.  It's the only way to be sure.

 

Jane Anderson at About.com claims that washing (soap or no) does not really remove the gluten: Open Original Shared Link

 

I'm inclined to agree.  Most beans are not totally smooth surfaces, so some gluten bits are likely to cling despite washing, unless you are tumbling them in a rock polisher.  But if a few trace bits do cling after soaking and washing, and then you boil the beans, you are boiling all of it in glutened water.  I'm also worried that tiny amounts may gluten the water that the beans absorb when you soak them.  

 

Some people will do OK with washing, because either their beans really are gluten free, or the tiny bit of gluten isn't bothering them.  But you can't know until you test it yourself.

 

I have a bunch of dried beans from Rancho Gordo I got before being diagnosed, and I'm waiting for my gluten-free test kits to arrive before I dive back in.  In the meantime, Eden Foods tests their own beans and a subset of their beans (dry and canned) are certified gluten-free to 10 ppm: Open Original Shared Link  Nuts.com also claims some are gluten-free, but Jane Anderson says they aren't testing rigorously -- there may be some cc from harvesting.

 

I think that if you do OK with just washing beans, fantastic.  If you're still having problems, go for a certified option.  

 

(I know this is an old post, but I have beans on the mind right now, and others having problems may do searches and come across this.)

[dilettantesteph]

I think that Jane Anderson was referring to low levels that will not be detected with your home tests.  You can contact her directly to see what she says.  That test doesn't detect oats either and wild oats seem to be a common weed, and you mentioned being sensitive to oats in another post.  You may be better off with gluten-free certification which can be to as low as 5 ppm gluten.  That way the company has received training on avoiding cc too.  That still won't help with the oat issue though.  I hope you can figure this out and feel better soon.