Are you Curious?
I hope so. Let me help.
When my daughter was in third grade she decided she was no longer going to eat meat. It was her first attempt at what would be a future way of life. She had committed to helping extinct animals, created a club, wrote a letter to the president at the time to get extinction on his radar, and in solidarity, was no longer going to eat animals. She decided to go vegetarian. As one of her main cooks in the house I wanted to support her. The educator in me also created learning opportunities for this new way of eating. I asked her how she would be getting her protein? Hmm…what? The abridged version of this story was that she would add beans into her diet. At the time, beans were not in the current rotation of weekly meals my husband and I planned. Therefore, I did research to make some simple recipes that would swap out meat and add beans. I was preparing traditional lasagna for dinner and I also made a black bean soup.
We never got there, however, I am not sure why. It may have been my delivery, “Well you have to get protein from somewhere” or the lack of familiarity with beans in general for my daughter. By that evening she was elbow deep in the lasagna and beans were in the rear view mirror. Boy, I worried that I may have bumped the curious out of that beautiful 8 year old moment. It may not have been the best introduction for her inquisitive mind. Having many years to reflect on this and with countless conversations with my daughter laughing at these intersections in life we both give ourselves the grace needed.
My advice to anyone curious about beans is to take that interest and experiment. To start you could research current trends like Meatless Mondays. You do not need to go vegetarian to eat beans. They are easily incorporated into the meal you are making today. Whether it includes animal protein or not, lean into it so there is no big announcement followed by let down if you don’t do it perfectly. Beans are equal opportunity actors, they are happy as a side dish. They don’t need to be center stage but they will be soon enough. You can start out by adding a few to your salad, your soup, your scrambled eggs. You get the gist, any time of day, any meal. Before you know it you may be opting for a black bean burger or lentils in your Shepard’s Pie. Enjoy the open road and start with beans.
Quick Review
If you read my first Newsletter you may remember beans perform two key functions in our bodies:
The soluble fiber in beans binds like a web to the bile molecule
It does not allow it to be reabsorbed back into our bodies, so it can be excreted.
Why are we celebrating? Beans allow for a natural way for our bodies to get rid of the toxins after they leave the liver instead of recycling and building up inside of us. If the soluble fiber in beans binds to the bile and does not allow bile/waste to be reabsorbed then the only place it can go is in the toilet. I feel better already.
Lets Dig In
If you do not have any gastrointestinal pain or symptoms that cause you discomfort and you are thinking about or curious regarding integrating beans into your diet there are a few recommendations to ensure you have the best outcome:
If you do not eat beans or you have them very irregularly it would be the best course to have no more than a tablespoon to start. If your stomach becomes upset, back off. Do. Not. Give. Up. Take a day off and when you start again, try one teaspoon. Or even one bean. No joke. Your body will accept them. Patience.
Continue to add beans by the tablespoon once you get to a place where you can eat a tablespoon at each meal and feel comfortable. Continue until you can eat ½ cup of beans 3 times a day. If that seems like too many beans in one sitting you can eat ¼ cup 6 times a day. To picture it for yourself, you would eat three ¼ cups with your meals and three ¼ cups as a quick snack of beans other times during the day. (For some, eating 6 times each day may present a scheduling puzzle–take it on your body will thank you. I am making a .pdf to help with scheduling. For those interested, stay tuned.)
You will also eat a plethora of vegetables with each meal and are welcome to have more during the day as snacks.
Drink plenty of water during meals and also throughout the day. Our body weight is made up of 50-70% of water and we must have it to survive. There are water apps available to remind us to drink our water. No excuses.
On the Mayo Clinic Website, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine determined that an adequate fluid intake is
About 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women
About 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men
It goes on to say fluids can be from multiple sources including foods. Here is where the bean protocol differs, the protocol recommends the above be your water only intake. Since my health and the health of many other humans has improved with this protocol I drink water and love it because I know it is good for my body. (For the men, this is calculated for a weight over 190 lbs. If you are under that you can reduce the water to 11.5 cups. For women, vice versa.)
Nuts are also an important part of this protocol. You should be eating them or natural nut butters in between the times you eat beans. About 90 minutes after your meal. (I go to my local market and have natural peanut butter blended with peanuts. I never thought I would do that. It is my treat during the day on a rice cake or cracker.)
Oils-I use olive oil and avocado but you can also use peanut, grapeseed, safflower or canola. No coconut oil. I know it's popular right now. If you have constipation you can eat the oils with your beans as the oil will help with the healing. You need to heal the constipation before you work on anything else. If you have any other GI inflammation you are advised to not eat the oil with your beans. Remember the beans need to bond with the fats coming from your liver. If they are already bonded to the oils in your meal then it defeats the purpose. Once you are no longer in the first round of endocrine mitosis you can use a bit of olive oil when cooking or on your salad. Unless I am frying an egg, when I am sautéing, I still use my veggie stock instead of oil. If you don’t have veggie stock, no worries, use water.
Subtractions
Now, for the uncomfortable part-what you should remove from your diet. The reason it is important to picture what is happening with beans descriptively in your gastrointestinal tract is because knowledge is power. If you know, then you have the facts and you can make an informed decision on what you are putting into your body and how it will affect your health.
The following items should not be eaten or drunk for at least one endocrine mitosis or 3 months/90 days.
Artificial and natural artificial sweeteners.
Sweetened beverages
Sugar, honey and real maple syrup
Dairy
Fruit juice (Fruits, too, if you want to be strict)
Caffeine and decaffeinated beverages
Fragrances-anything you use should be unscented. (This all has to do with not wanting to stimulate the hormone production)
Insight
After 3 months depending on how you are feeling you can adapt the protocol to what works best for you. For example, I was in so much pain, I even removed fruit (it is advised not to eat fruit during the healing period) because the natural sugar in fruit can cause endocrine stress. I now eat apples and berries in their seasons. I don’t miss fruit as much as I thought I would because I have added many, many scrumptious vegetables that I never enjoyed before adopting beans into my daily meals.
You do have to be very careful once you begin variations of this protocol. You must be intune with your body. Listen to her. Sugar is the enemy. I know that it is not popular to write. I love desserts and I tend to go back to dessert whenever I am going to do anything out of the protocol. Homemade ice cream or cookies, cake or tarts are my weakness. As soon as I feel anything off in my stomach or GI tract, I hit up more beans and I back off of sugar. For you it may be alcohol. Once you heal, alcohol (up to two glasses per week) will integrate nicely with your system if you so choose.
Another area I do not miss as much as I thought I would is dairy. For example, I always used cheese in tacos, chili or over salads. Now I usually do not. I am filling my tacos with roasted cauliflower, lentils (or some other bean), onions, cilantro and mushrooms with spices, giving me the umami factor instead of cheese. I am sprinkling different nuts or seeds over my salads with a squeeze of lemon or apple cider vinegar. You will see, there comes a point where it will not be natural to grab the dairy. A great cheese alone, or on a cheese board or at a dinner party is something I indulge in because I know it is going to be delicious!! No one is perfect. Just listen to your body.
I will stop for today. I have given you enough food for thought. If you are here and you are not in a health crisis I applaud you for it. Most often we humans wait for a health crisis before making any changes, that was my story. The next decisions you make may add years to your life, may change your course of health in the years to come for the better, if you integrate beans into your daily meal plans. I am here to help. Next week I will add some easy “go to” recipes to inspire you. For now go buy some beans and nuts. Make sure you buy canned or jarred beans to make it as easy as possible to start unless you are determined to cook dried beans. If you want to cook beans from scratch I can include a video on how I make my Sunday beans in the near future. Please like this Newsletter, comment if you have a specific question or want the bean video and follow me on Instagram @startwithbeans.
Recommendations
For those of you wondering how my daughter is eating now. Whether I crushed her curiosity. Not a chance! She is an amazing hormonal health chef living in Portugal with her husband and helps women eat with their cycles. If you currently are the age to have your menstrual cycle this will be of interest and I highly recommend. Her website is informative and has delicious recipes, many of which include beans.
If you are in gastrointestinal strife and need to eat the white diet first to lower inflammation in your GI tract, you may be a great candidate to hit up Karen Hurd’s website and take her course. She goes into the science in depth and if you are someone who loves research as I did her course is worth it.
I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist. I am an educator. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean diet and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. It is impossible not to share once you feel well. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss options before you change any course of action with your health.
And remember, start with beans!