Alan
Christianson
Arizona-based
naturopathic medical doctor
The paleo take on beans is that humans did not consume beans until our
more recent history, say 8,000-10,000 years ago. The argument continues that
this timeframe would not allow us to adapt to beans. They also claim that beans
have phytotoxins that can damage our intestinal lining, trigger autoimmune
disease and take nutrients out of our bodies. A further problem is that many
people who have avoided beans now notice digestive symptoms if they add them
back into their diets, even if they never had issues before. Let's look at
these concerns one by one.
When Did Humans Start Eating
Beans?
Domesticating beans, drying them and cooking them at a later time did
likely emerge within the last 8,000-10,000 years. However, human ancestors have
eaten large amounts of the types of plants that include grains and beans for at
least 1.2 million years. [1]
How Fast Do Humans Adapt to New
Foods?
The newest perspectives on human evolution show that measurable genetic
change can happen in as little as 200 years. [2] That does not take into
account the new science of epigenetics, which shows that diet can modify our
genes within a single individual's lifetime. Several thousand years is
definitely long enough for adaptation.
Are Beans a Unique Source of
Phytotoxins?
Beans do contain many naturally-occurring chemical defenses, such as
oxalates, lectins, phytates and saponins. These phytotoxins are there to
protect the nutrient-dense seed of a bean plant from being easily eaten by
insects or destroyed by fungi. These same phytotoxins, along with many others, are
found in higher amounts in foods like kale, chia, parsley, spinach, coconuts,
chocolate, almonds, carrots, coffee and broccoli.
If that is not enough, domesticated meat, as well as game meat, also
contains phytotoxins based on which plants the animal ate during its lifetime.
[3] Beans are not unique and are not even the highest source of phytotoxins.
Ironically, the only way to be free of phytotoxins is to eat a diet based on
synthetic and processed foods. I would not advise this.
Do Phytotoxins Cause Harm?
Remember the cancer-reducing benefits of beans? The phytotoxin IP6 is
likely the source of these good properties. We are healthiest when our diets
have a wide variety of plant foods rich in beneficial, naturally-occurring
phytotoxins. [4]
Do Antinutrients Create
Deficiencies?
Phytic acid is the main antinutrient in legumes, but antinutrients have
been misunderstood to be much more insidious than they truly are. They do cause
you to absorb less of a nutrient, but they do not take nutrients out of your
body. Imagine adzuki beans have 150 mg of magnesium per serving. The
antinutrients in them may cause you to absorb only 145 mg rather than the full
150. They do not take magnesium out of your body or even cause you to absorb
less magnesium from other foods eaten at the same meal. In fact, a study showed
that young boys, who are known to get low in zinc, did not get low in zinc even
when eating a diet unusually high in zinc-blocking antinutrients. [5]
"But I Can't Digest
Beans"
Our intestinal flora is adaptable, but it does take some time to
respond to change. Beans are rich in a compound called stachyose, which is
loved by good bacteria like lactobacilli. [6] If you do not consume beans, your
good lactobacilli may get crowded out by less-beneficial bacteria. When you
start feeding them, they do regrow, but at first, this can cause gas and
bloating. If you have avoided beans, just add them into your diet slowly. Try 1
tablespoon daily for a few weeks. Most people can then eat them more freely.
There are many packaged, non-food items that are worth avoiding, but
don't be afraid of real foods. Life gives us enough worries we can't avoid.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-christianson/beans-calmin-the-fears_b_6464552.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living
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