Why do beans give us gas?
06:07 Share

From the brains behind Brains On, this is the Moment of Um. Answering those questions that make you go... Moment of Um comes to you from APM Studios. I'm a can of beans. Yes, hello. It's me, the can of beans in your cupboard.

I've been sitting here for ages. Ever since you saw that recipe for kale and white bean soup and thought it sounded good. 238 days to be exact. I've had so much time to think and ponder your strange human existence. And I have so many questions. Like, why do you humans cook bacon and bake cookies?

Or why do you get salty when you're upset? I have not observed any salt being applied to your bodies during times of emotional distress. But the thing I'm really curious about, why haven't you eaten me yet? 238 days is a long time to wait, even for a can of beans. I overheard you say the other day that beans give you gas.

Is that why you haven't eaten me? Why do humans get farty from eating beans anyway? Ethan and Miles asked about this too. Luckily, I consulted an expert.

Gas is air that's in your stomach and intestine. So how does it get there? I'm Dr. Wendy Hunter. I am a primary care pediatrician in La Jolla, California and host of the Pediatrician Next Door podcast. Some people swallow a lot of air. Like if a baby is crying, they'll swallow a lot of air and then they need to burp or, you know, pass gas to get rid of it.

But what if you don't swallow a lot of air? You're not a baby, you're not crying, and you're just eating regular food. How does your food become gas inside your intestines? Well, gas is actually made by bacteria that live in your intestines.

So you try to digest all your food, but sometimes you can't digest it all by yourself. So there are good, happy bacteria that live and swim around in your intestines, and they help to eat up your food and break it down into all the chemicals that your body can use for energy. And when the bacteria eat your food, they make gas.

So beans are made out of a few really complex sugars, not just the straightforward sweet sugar that you eat, but a really different molecule that's complex and our bodies can't break it down. So instead, when you eat beans, you chew it up and it gets made into small particles and they go down into your guts and there bacteria start to eat it and break it down for us.

And the bacteria release gas when they break down those sugars. That also happens when you eat cabbage and broccoli and sometimes onions. There's a particular kind of molecule called oligosaccharides, and they're like long and really hard to break down. And those are the foods, anyone that has that in it will be harder for you to break down. So you need really good bacteria.

So that's why a lot of people will eat foods that make their bacteria happy, like kimchi or sauerkraut and sometimes yogurt, because that is all really good, healthy food to help your bacteria grow and to help break down other foods. Fascinating. In your stomach and guts, you have helpful bacteria that work to break down your food.

But beans like me are made of stuff that can be tough for your human bodies to digest. When the bacteria in your guts try to break it down, they make gas. And that's what you toot out. It can be a little uncomfortable, but it's just a sign that the bacteria in your gut are working the way they should. Oh, what's this? A bubbling pot of broth on the stove?

A leafy bunch of kale? Oh boy. Time for this old can of beans to make its final journey. If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe to Moment of Um wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you can't get enough potty stuff, check out the Brains On podcast where we have a whole episode answering all of your poo-related questions.

It's called Poop Party. Want to see our shows come to life? Head to YouTube, where we've got awesome animated Brains On episodes. Search Brains On Universe on YouTube and subscribe. If you have a question, we'd love to help you answer it. Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact.

See you next time and the next day and every weekday. Until then, un-bye. Another thing I've wondered, if tomatoes are a fruit, then is ketchup a smoothie? Is there a teen in your life who needs a little extra help learning how to manage their finances?

Financially Inclined from Marketplace is a podcast you can trust to help Gen Z get serious about money. I'm the host, Janelia Espinal, and each week I talk to experts about essential and practical personal finance topics, like choosing a college that you can actually afford, finding internship opportunities, and how to start a business while you're still young. Let's make sure the next generation gets these financial lessons sooner than we did.

Listen to Financially Inclined wherever you get your podcasts.