Hi, all!

I find myself repeatedly reacting to meals that contain canned beans. After I determined recently that I was also reacting to the brand of chicken broth (Imagine Foods--labeled gluten-free and No MSG/No HVP, but I still react to it every time) that I often use in the same recipes, I expected no further problems with bean dishes, but that has not been the case.

Does anyone have a brand of canned beans that you use with no problems? I have tried Hanover, Bush's, Westbrae Organic, and Eden (although I can't prove that I had a problem with Eden beans, so I should probably try them again). I haven't tried Cento or Whole Foods 365 beans yet.

Thanks for any suggestions!

--Sarah

Those brands should be fine - but you may be having a reaction to the beans themselves. Have you dried soaking dried (and rinsed) beans to investigate that option?

I have, but it's been a while. I think I still have some on hand, so I'll give it another go if I can get myself motivated. I'm in the grip of a mood swing at the moment (probably gluten-induced, although it's not entirely clear; but since I've been on mood-stabilizing medication practically all of my mood swings have been traceable either to gluten or to other very noticeable conditions causing significant intestinal impairment, like a gallbladder attack and subsequent flush or bacterial food poisoning).

I would like to find a brand of canned beans I can trust to be gluten-free, just for the convenience factor. I know the Westbrae beans have a slim but real chance of contamination just because I see that they also produce a canned "soup mix" that contains barley--and I can't see why they would use separate equipment for it. I don't necessarily react to beans every time I eat them, and there may be an undiscovered culprit in those meals I consistently react to. It's just so hard to tell sometimes!

Thanks for your quick reply. I appreciate it!

--Sarah

Bush's beans are all safe EXCEPT thier chili magic line. Their plain beans are fine though. Hope that helps.

-Jessica

I just read this and out of curiosity decided to check the can in the trash. We had Bush Chilli beans over a baked potato for supper, with grated cheese, picante sauce, onion, YUM!! Loose stool this morning, and guess what. ING: Water, Prepared beans, Wheat Flour! 3rd Ing. I read somewhere that Bushes was gluten-free and didn't check the label. Keep reading those labels. Granny

I use to be a dedicated VanCamps user, but have since switched to Bush's after learning VanCamps is NOT gluten-free. I do not have any reactions with Bush's. Plus they are really good ~ I like the variety with onion. Good luck!!

Yep all of their chili beans have flour in them. They are part of the chili magic line.

-Jessica

yep Jessica and Kimberly-

I love Bush's beans...of course, I stay clear of the chili beans though!

Sarah,

As long as you are not allergic to the beans themselves, there are many brands of gluten-free beans that should be fine.

A tip I found helpful: Look for a brand that reads, "beans and water" or "beans, water, and salt" as the ingredients. Many canned veggies have multiple (harsh) preservatives. The number of preservatives in the cans don't bother some people, but you may be having problems digesting them.

Good luck to you...if you still have problems after avoiding gluten and preservatives (and if you're not allergic to beans), then as Tiffany suggested, fresh beans may be the way to go! (even though it is less convenient)

Good luck! -Julie

Does anyone have suggestions as to where to find fresh beans or gluten-free dry beans??

Just checked this online on Bush's Beans website before checking the forum... getting ready to pop open a can, so I wanted to be safe!

As of 10/12/2008
http://www.bushbeans.com/products/productqa.php#glutenfree

Q: Are any of [Bush's Best] products gluten-free? Which ones?

A: All of our Bush's Best products are gluten-free with the exception of Bush's Best Chili Beans, the four varieties of Bush's Homestyle Chili and Bush's Chili Magic®line. We use cornstarch in some of our products, but it does not contain gliadin gluten from wheat, barley or rye grains that may cause adverse responses in persons suffering from Celiac Sprue.

I know this is an old post but I wanted to mention to the OP that I couldn't eat beans in any way, shape or form when I first went gluten free three years ago. I cautiously tried them again after about a year and found I could eat certain ones like Great Northern or pintoes but kidney beans would really bother me.

However, after three years, I can eat beans without any problems. I still don't eat kidney beans very often, just in case.

We use Eden Azuki beans and Best Choice for other types..and black beans I use a hispanic brand, I can cheack the brand but it may be a local brand.

I eat the Westbrae organic pinto and red beans every day without any problems though I am not too sensitive. I used to eat the great northern beans but they would sometimes give me some bloating (probably not gluten related).

rob