Green Peas and Fava Beans - Our Fresh Summer Treats!

Fava beans (foul) and green peas (bazella) are one of the favorites Lebanese treats during this time of year, other than green almonds nuts of course!

Fava beans

Green raw peas and fava beans contain significant amounts of carbohydrates and thus they are considered to be primarily constituted of starch. Their protein content is greater than that of potatoes and is actually close to that of rice even though both rice and peas have different types of amino acids (protein building blocks). So a smart way to go around cooked peas is to have them with rice, this way both their protein content will complement each other.

Peas are also rich in vitamin C, in fact, they have  40 mg for each 100 g, almost as much as lemon while fava beans contain about half of that of lemon.

Moreover, green peas and fava beans supply your body with vitamin A, E, B1, B2, B6, folates, iron and zinc and best of all, they supply you with lots of fiber!

Fresh Green Peas

Now apart from all the benefits listed about green peas and fava beans, can these green treats be considered as veggies and thus it's Ok to nibble on them "freely"? 

Well, not really! The issue we have in Lebanon is that during this time of year, everyone buys kilograms of these fresh greens and enjoy them - mindlessly if I might add - with lunches, dinners, picnics or simply with alcohol! So a very important nutritious advice concerning foul and bazella is to enjoy them in small amounts because to start with, they are high in fibers and might not be well tolerated in large amounts causing digestive disturbances and gases and most importantly because they are considered as starch - just like potatoes/pasta/breads/rice and not as green vegetables! This is why it is best to replace them with green munchies such as carrot, cucumber and bell pepper sticks or if you decide to have green peas and fava beans, make sure not eat them as a surplus to other starches in your diet!

Bubbling Up? What are your own gas triggers?

Everyone has gases in their digestive tract – yes, it’s a fact. However, it might surprise you to learn that the average person produces ½ to 2 liters of gases each day just to pass them out 12-25 times/ day. These gases come 90% of swallowed air and the remaining 10% are produced from bacteria in your intestines fermenting the foods you have already eaten. Many factors influence gas passage and these include the amount of swallowed air, the nature and frequency of meals, and the motility of the bowel, which can be affected by food, drugs and stress.

Now since most gases are caused by swallowed air, these following tips may help you cut down on the amount of air you swallow and therefore ease out any discomfort you have from belching or painfully bloating up that even your clothes become too tight to fit!

• Eat your meals slowly and try to relax while you eat
• Participate in mealtime conversations, but don’t talk a lot while eating
• Drink fluids lukewarm, instead of hot. You can actually notice that when you sip hot drinks, you tend to gulp the whole sip not to burn your palate
• Don’t use a straw or drink directly from a bottle or cup
• Avoid chewing gum or eating hard candies
• Avoid ‘fizzy’ drinks like soft drinks or beer
• If you smoke or love your arguile, it’s about time to quit, no?
• If you wear dentures, make sure they fit very well in place

In addition to these habits that would help you gulp less air while eating, you could identify specific foods in your diet that may be causing you these problems with gases. These foods can include:

• Milk and dairy products IF you are lactose intolerant. Lactose is a sugar found naturally in milk, yogurt, labne and cheeses. Usually people have different degrees of lactose intolerance and this can not digest it well; therefore experimenting is best. Because some yogurt and some cheeses are fermented, they tend to be more agreeable to your body than milk itself. You can also try lactose-reduced milks and enzyme tablets that you take just before eating foods that contain lactose.
  
• High fiber foods, especially if you’ve added large amounts of these foods to your diet suddenly. Fiber is healthy, Amen! However, be sure to add high fiber foods like bran, vegetables and fruits a little at a time. Just add them gradually into your diet and make sure to drink extra fluids such as water along with them.

• Beans, peas and lentils. These foods are also very nutritious but contain carbohydrates that are hard to digest. You’ve probably heard many people complain after eating “fassolia & rice” and they try to avoid it as much as possible. Well it’s true. However, if you presoak the beans at least 4 hours in water, drain, and rinse them before cooking them in fresh water, this would definitely help. In some cases, you might also find that taking an over the counter enzyme such as Beano® helpful to digest the carbohydrates.
• Foods sweetened with sorbitol, like sugar-free gum and candy. It’s easy just read the food label and try not to increase your intake of sorbitol contained foods.
  
• Foods that contain high amounts of fructose. Fructose is used to sweeten many soft drinks and fruit drinks; it could be under the name of HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). Fruit juice can also have high amounts of fructose, so limit the amount of juice you drink and eat 2-3 servings of fresh fruit instead.
  
• Besides beans and lactose, several other vegetables and fruits are gas producers but not everyone reacts in the same manner to these foods. Some of those are: bell pepper, cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic, asparagus, corn, potatoes, prune, peach, apple, pear and radish.

You can learn which foods affect you most by keeping a food diary of what and how much you eat for a few days and the number of times you pass gas. If you identify foods that are “your own gas triggers”, try eating less of those foods rather than not eating them at all, but now you know that it all depends on your tolerance. Nevertheless, if you try your best to fix your diet, decrease your gas trigger foods and stress less, and still you can’t get rid of your bubbles that are accompanied with discomfort and pain, it may be necessary to consult your doctor for you might need antispasmodics and motility regulators.