DEAR DR. BLONZ: When cooking beans, will adding ginger to the water reduce the amount of intestinal gas from eating them? Where does the gas come from? If using this technique, how much ginger would be needed for 1 lb. of beans? And should I use fresh ginger or ground, which also affects the amounts? -- S.K., Las Vegas

DEAR S.K.: Beans contain particular carbohydrates called oligosaccharides. The body does a poor job of digesting these, because we don’t produce sufficient amounts of the particular enzyme required to do that job. As a result, these carbohydrates travel through the small intestine undigested, then arrive in the large intestine, where they serve as sustenance to the natural flora that live there. Flora can give off methane and other gases as a metabolic byproduct of their meal. Some of the intestinal gases get absorbed through the intestinal wall, but when production exceeds this ability, the excess gets passed out of the body. All this will vary from individual to individual.

I am familiar with ginger’s reputation of being able to reduce the gas from beans. There is, however, little available in the scientific literature that describes how this herbal root might accomplish the task. Some of the information says that ginger works its wonders when you add it to the soaking water, as you mention above. I could not, however, find any guide that specified amounts or types of ginger.

What is confusing is that there are other articles saying that the anti-gas effect comes when you use ginger as a seasoning with already-cooked beans. One article even made reference to “research in India,” but again, there was little to be found in the scientific literature. On top of all this, we have ginger’s reputation as a digestive aid unrelated to beans, as well as its recommended use to help with various forms of nausea, including morning sickness and post-surgical nausea.

Aside from giving ginger a try, there are other techniques that can help limit the impact of gas production. One is to eat more slowly, chewing foods thoroughly, and enjoying beans as a part of a meal that contains protein and fat -- ideally preceding the beans. This helps because it slows the rate at which the food travels through the digestive tract, in turn slowing the rate at which the gas is produced.

Another option is to take an over-the-counter product that provides some of the missing digestive enzyme. The way the beans are cooked is also a factor. For more on this, see tinyurl.com/yb65zrzz.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I want an explanation for the post-meal sensation of tiredness long associated with Thanksgiving. Is it the turkey, or isn’t it? Last year, we had a hearty mealtime discussion about this, with a humorous footnote of all of us sitting around exhausted after the meal. But a number of us only had vegetarian dishes. This year, I wanted to go armed with some facts. What do you say? -- M.Q., Tucson, Arizona

DEAR M.Q.: Turkey does not contain any sleep-inducing chemicals; the connection between Thanksgiving and tiredness relates more to the nature of the feast. It all comes down to the size and makeup of the meal: The greater the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrate consumed, the more pronounced the soporific effect.

Survival equates with sustenance. So as foods are eaten, the body’s priorities shift, and blood flow gets shunted toward the organs that play a role in digestion and absorption. During mealtime, the brain makes shifts in its neurotransmitter controller substances. The body has its own home-brewed relaxation cocktail that encourages us to sit back, relax, and facilitate our ability to take it all in.

And assuming the Thanksgiving feast is your evening meal, all this takes place near the end of the day, when our energy is already on the wane. It’s a perfect scene for post-meal tiredness.

By the time the feast has finished, some of the component parts of the appetizers and the first of the other digested foods will have begun to enter the bloodstream: the great highway by which newly digested nutrients find their way to where they are needed. Carbohydrates break down to simple sugars and cause a release of insulin, the “I am fed” hormone that signals the availability of energy resources in the blood while keeping the blood sugar level from rising too high. Another of insulin’s effects is to encourage the amino acids liberated from the meal’s protein to enter cells to help with repairs or to build new tissue where needed.

Our bloodstream does not flow into the central nervous system, where the brain resides. Our brain is protected by a blood-brain barrier that controls the nature and amount of substances allowed in. Amino acids compete with each other to gain access. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids, was thought to be a key player in the turkey-tiredness connection. This makes intuitive sense because, once in the brain, tryptophan can be converted to serotonin -- a neurotransmitter that can elicit relaxation and calmness. Tryptophan is also associated with the production of melatonin, a hormone connected with sleep.

Turkey is a complete protein, and it does indeed contain tryptophan (though not significantly more than other complete proteins). But tryptophan must get to the brain to make you tired, and it is at a disadvantage because it’s found in smaller amounts than other amino acids in most foods. Carbohydrates tilt the odds through their stimulation of insulin, which causes many amino acids to enter other tissue. Tryptophan is less affected by insulin, and, its competition reduced, is better able to enter the brain and have its effect.

The tiredness you feel is due more to the overall volume and types of foods eaten at Thanksgiving. In particular, it’s the carbohydrate foods such as stuffing, candied yams, cranberries or dessert that lead to the fatigued feeling. If you were to have some other meat as the centerpiece, or even have a vegan Thanksgiving feast, the effects would be the same.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I keep reading and seeing videos about the benefits of colon cleansing, speaking of it in the most glowing, essential-for-good-health terms. I cannot imagine this is something that you would advocate, but want your opinion on the topic. Is it beneficial? Is it safe? -- F.S., Las Vegas

DEAR F.S.: The goal of advertising is to motivate an individual to buy. Objectivity and accuracy can be spun, or bypassed outright when there is no evidence to support the claims.

There are many names for “cleansing” procedures designed to purge the contents of the large intestine, otherwise known as the colon. Aside from “colon cleansing,” these terms include: high colonics, colonic irrigations, coffee enemas, detoxification therapies, and hydro-colon therapy. Some work from the top down, using laxative products and dietary supplements, while others go from the bottom up, relying on the insertion of a rubber tube inside the rectum to flush out the colon with water or other liquids.

What kind of message could make such a procedure attractive?

First, advertisers must convince audiences that there is a problem to be solved, before offering their product or procedure as the solution. Consider that we cannot see what is going on inside our colons. This leaves us open to the suggestion that all sorts of toxins, parasites and other undigested waste are trapped inside. “Impacted” is often an operative word. We get told that an unclean colon prevents needed nutrients from being absorbed, and can divert the attention of the immune system, leaving us vulnerable to a host of ailments. A list of common conditions usually follows, including: constipation, excess gas, irritable bowel syndrome, muscle aches and pains, headaches, depression and fatigue. And of course, colon cancer is often mentioned.

The cleansing procedure gets portrayed as an essential adjunct to the intoxications wrought by our polluted environment and the standard American diet. Add a few pictures, a bunch of glowing testimonials and you have your recipe for a sale.

The first recorded mention of colon cleansing comes from ancient Egypt, and the procedure has had periodic revivals throughout history. It became popular in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, but as medical science gained a better understanding of the functions of the digestive system, there was no scientific evidence that the routine use of such procedures could help against disease or contribute to long-term health. Today, however, the internet is “impacted” with dubious commercial sites delivering the above scenario and offering products for sale with little in the way of content oversight. You can even find these products at local food stores, next to the dietary supplements.

As to the facts, we all need to appreciate that the cells that comprise the lining of the intestines are shed periodically, which means that the lining of your intestine changes on its own from month to month. This lends doubt to the rather gross concept that caked-on toxins hang around our colon to wreak havoc with our health. Consider also that, except for water, the nutrients in our food get absorbed before they reach the colon.

There is no question that regular bowel movements are an important part of good health, but “regular” can vary from person to person. The whole foods and fiber we eat determine how well our digestive and elimination systems work, and should therefore be viewed as an essential part of our daily diet.

It is our foods and lifestyle that determine our state of health. All this makes more sense than relying on unproven, archaic “flushing” procedures. Read more about colonics at tinyurl.com/j4k7xdm. And here is a link to FTC dealings with a purveyor of these products: tinyurl.com/y9pm4nyj.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.