A reader wrote that his VLF diet produces much gas, particularly
TVP. I have found that some brands of TVP produce more in me than
others. I think you just have to experiment. For me and my
wife the worst offender is cabbage, which we both love.
We had tried Beano, which never worked very well, and the new
Beano tablets are made with (can you believe it) hydrogenated
fat! I'm sure there's not much in each tablet, but after all,
we're all trying to avoid saturated fats, aren't we? Why take
them if it doesn't do any good anyway?
I have read books about beans suggesting that when you soak them
in preparation for cooking them, you change the water at least
twice. That takes away some of the nutrition, but also takes
away some of the undigestable polysaccharides, so I've been told.
Also, putting a little sodium bicarb in the bean pot is supposed
to help, as well as VERY thorough cooking, enough so that the
beans are able to "fall apart" against the roof of your mouth.
My wife doesn't care for beans very much so I don't make them
for her, except as vegie chili.
Theoretically, as your system gets used to legumes, you are supposed
to "develop" the enzymes necessary to digest them more easily. But
sometimes, I just cannot step in an enclosed space (like an elevator)
with other people. I think it has been getting better though, and
the tofu I eat no longer makes me as gassy as it used to.
I'd also suggest chewing your food very thoroughly, as that is the
BEGINNING of digestion. I think most of us eat too fast anyway.Also
we should try not to drink too much liquid with a large dinner,
because it tends to dilute our digestive enzymes--maybe...
For now, I'd suggest keeping the volume of TVP you eat at once
to a minimum. Try not to eat it just before an important meeting
when you are trying to sell somebody a car, for instance...or
a long meeting with your boss' best clients, who have no sense
of humor.
For now, I'd only associate with people who have no sense of smell.
That's what I do.
Mike Rosenblatt
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