A Surprising (and Simple) Way to Get Really, Really Sick

[Sheldon Powell]

With the chill of winter in the air, a lot of people are preparing
soup and chili with dried beans. And beans are amazing. Not only are
they low in fat, inexpensive and tasty, they're a powerhouse when it
comes to nutrition.
What they may not know is that beans contain a toxin - a lectin
protein that serves as a natural pesticide. When beans are not
properly prepared, it can lead to severe nausea, vomiting and
diarrhea.
A lot of folks soak beans overnight and then toss them right into the
crock pot to cook all day - and they're winding up really sick a few
hours later. Beans must be boiled first - alone in water - to kill the
lectin.
In fact, beans that are undercooked may actually be more toxic than
raw beans and it only takes three kidney beans to cause a gastric
nightmare. Worse, the acid in tomatoes may decrease the chance that
the toxin can be killed so if you're putting soaked beans into the
crock pot with tomatoes (for chili, for example), you're setting
yourself up for an all night date with the toilet.
We don't really hear too much about this illness because it passes in
about 4 to 5 hours and often people don't know what exactly made them
sick. They may think they just had a stomach bug. If they do think
food poisoning, they rarely think of beans as the culprit.
Do yourself a favor - if you eat dried beans, soak them overnight and
then boil them in water for at least 20 minutes prior to adding any
other ingredients. Then simmer all day and enjoy.
Taking this one extra step can save you from a very unpleasant
experience.