How to Eliminate Gas From White Beans & Ham

White beans and ham can cause gas, but there are methods of minimizing the gas.

With white bean soup with ham or any other similar recipe, the taste might end up being wonderful, but the meal can cause diners to have embarrassing gas, bloating and similar problems. Fortunately, there are methods to reduce the gas so that the body does not end up bloated and social gatherings are still possible.

Things You'll Need

• Beans
• Water
• Bowl
• Slow cooker or pan
• Ham
• Seasonings

Instructions

1. Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Allow the beans to soak. Soaking times can differ, but when working on eliminating gas, soak the beans overnight. The beans should be under at least 3 inches of water; add water as necessary when the beans expand, to maintain the water level.

2. Pour out the water. Change the soaking water two to three times throughout the night and before starting the cooking process. After the final soak, eliminate the soaking water. Replace the soaking water with new, fresh water.

3. Place the white beans in a slow cooker or on the stove as preferred, and start cooking the beans. Bring the water to a boil and change it one more time after about five minutes or so of boiling.

4. Put ham and other spices in the slow cooker or pot with the beans after the beans start to soften. Cover and allow the ham and white beans to cook. The fats from the ham will help thicken the meal and add flavor to the beans.

5. Gradually increase the amount of beans eaten at the meal. Never start eating beans suddenly and eat large servings. Instead, eat small amounts, then slowly work up to more beans to minimize gas production.

Tips & Warnings

• When the weather is hot, soak the beans in the fridge. Soaking beans in hot weather can lead to sprouting.

References

• University of Nebraska: Cooking with Dry Beans
• Being Healthy: Beans
• Washington Post: 14 Things to Know About Cooking Beans