Before You Give Up on Healthy Food, Read This

Everybody keeps saying beans are good for your health.

So you decide to give them a try.

The next time you go to the market, you buy beans.

You start eating them more often.

Three or four days later, your stomach starts swelling.

After almost every meal, you feel bloated.

You look at the beans and say, "This thing is not for me."

So you stop eating them.

Before long, you're back to eating the way you used to because at least your stomach wasn't disturbing you.

Many people stop eating beans because they think their body can't handle them.

But that's usually not the real problem.

Your Body Isn't Used to the Change

If you've hardly been eating beans for a long time, then suddenly start eating plenty of them, the tiny organisms living in your large intestine suddenly have a lot more work to do.

These helpful organisms feed on some of the fibre and natural carbohydrates in beans. As they break them down, they produce gas. That's why your stomach may feel swollen when you first start eating beans more often.

For many people, this is a normal part of the adjustment process.

It doesn't necessarily mean beans are bad for you.

It often means your digestive system is adapting to a new way of eating.

Your Gut Can Learn

Your digestive system isn't static.

The community of helpful microorganisms living in your gut changes depending on the foods you eat regularly.

If beans haven't been part of your diet for a long time, your gut may not be well prepared for a sudden increase.

The good news is that, for many people, this doesn't last forever.

Research suggests that when beans become a regular part of the diet, the gut gradually adapts. As it does, the bloating often becomes much less over the following days or weeks.

That's why many people who once avoided beans later discover they can eat them with little or no discomfort.

Think About Climbing Stairs

Imagine you haven't climbed stairs for a long time.

The first day you start climbing them again, your legs may hurt.

That doesn't mean climbing stairs is bad for you.

It simply means your muscles need time to adjust.

Your gut can react in much the same way.

When you suddenly eat much more fibre than you're used to, your digestive system may need time to adapt.

What Should You Do?

Instead of eating a large amount of beans straight away, start with a small portion.

Then increase the amount little by little.

Keep eating beans regularly instead of only once in a while. This gives your gut time to adjust.

If you're cooking dry beans, soaking them before cooking and discarding the soaking water may also help reduce some of the compounds that contribute to gas.

The goal isn't to force your body.

The goal is to give it time to adapt.

Don't Mistake Adjustment for Failure

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they decide to eat healthier is expecting their body to change overnight.

Sometimes the discomfort you feel at the beginning isn't a sign that the healthy food is wrong for you.

It's a sign that your body is adjusting to a different way of eating.

Of course, severe or persistent symptoms such as intense abdominal pain, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, or ongoing diarrhoea should always be discussed with a healthcare professional because they may point to something more serious.

But for many healthy people, temporary bloating after increasing foods like beans is simply part of the adjustment process.

The Bottom Line

Beans are only one example.

The same lesson applies whenever you make a healthier change to your diet.

Your body doesn't always adapt overnight.

Sometimes it needs time.

Sometimes it needs patience.

So don't give up on healthy food too soon.

Sometimes healthy food isn't failing you.

Sometimes you just changed too much, too fast.