Why are beans so healthy?

1. When we think of healthy side dishes that we can combine with our meals, most people immediately think of salads, rice, vegetables, fruit, cottage cheese or a slice of wholemeal bread with less fat butter. But people don't often think about beans.

1. Which is strange, because there are many different types of beans that make excellent side dishes for meals, especially since these beans are packed with various benefits for our health. One example is that the substances in beans help to protect our bodies against disease and help build muscle.

1. For those unsure about beans, they are dried out seeds packed with powerful nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals. There are different types of beans to choose from, such as kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans (also called pinto beans or pinto beans), Lima beans (also called butter beans or elephant beans) and white beans.

1. All beans are boiled or well fried until soft. In addition, they are often seasoned with spices, herbs or natural sweeteners such as honey to give the beans even more flavor and ensure that they have even more health benefits.

The different types of beans

1. Beans (also known as legumes) belong to an extremely large vegetable category, this category includes over 13,000 species. Only grains provide more calories and protein to the entire world population than beans. However, when we compare beans to grains, beans provide the same amount of calories, but often two to four times as much protein as grains.

1. Despite their small size, beans are full of healthy substances. It is impossible to pinpoint the healthiest bean because they are all packed with different health benefits.

1. Let's take a look at some of the best known and healthiest beans.

1. Kidney beans are small kidney beans that contain nutrients such as fiber, protein, vitamin K, thiamine, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, iron, manganese, tryptophan, folic acid and molybdenum. These beans can help reduce excess cholesterol and help keep our hearts healthy and strong.

1. In addition, kidney beans are also full of fiber, which makes you feel full quickly, making them easy to use, for example, if you want to lose weight. After all, if you are not hungry then you eat less. Kidney beans are usually used in bean salads, chilies (think Chili con carne, for example) and rice dishes. Often you can just buy these in the supermarket in a can (ready-to-eat) or in plastic bags like dried beans.

1. Black beans are smaller than kidney beans, black in color and have a rounder shape. They contain nutrients such as iron, phosphorus, thiamine, magnesium, proteins, tryptophan, folic acid, fiber, manganese and molybdenum. Black beans are very healthy beans to eat because these black beans also ensure that people with health problems such as diabetes can keep their blood sugar at a healthy level.

1. In addition, they also help to keep the heart healthy and ensure that our cholesterol levels remain reasonably low. Black beans are used in chilies, salads, and spicy adds to various Mexican and Spanish meals. It's a good idea to add black beans to a rice dish instead of meat. This provides a healthy source of protein and fiber. You normally buy these black beans from a can.

1. Pinto beans are colored pink and beige and contain nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, protein, copper, thiamine, manganese, fiber, folic acid, tryptophan and molybdenum. These nutrients have been proven to help prevent problems with stomach and colon cancer.

1. The reason behind this is because eating these beans ensures that certain toxins move through our body faster and are therefore removed faster. This does not give them time to be present for a long time and to take care of health problems.

1. Pinto beans help to lower our cholesterol, prevent cardiovascular disease and keep blood sugar levels stable. These beans even ensure that our blood flows more easily, so they ensure good circulation. If people often feel fatigued, it might be a good idea to eat pinto beans. You get a lot of energy from it. Pinto beans are mostly used in rice dishes and salads, and are most often available in the dried form.

1. Lima beans contain the same nutrients as all the aforementioned beans but have a lime green color and are about the size of a quarter. We do not come across these dried or canned. They help prevent health problems such as cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, diabetes, weight gain, high blood sugar, poor blood circulation, fatigue and stress. Lima beans are usually eaten with fresh herbs and spices or sometimes drizzled with olive oil or butter.

1. White beans are very small oval beans that are white (beige) in color. These beans also contain the same nutrients as all other beans above and help prevent the same health problems. The only difference with these beans is that they are normally used for making baked bean dishes. These beans can be found either canned or dried.

The best beans as a protein replacement

1. We have already discussed that many animal food sources (eg pork or chicken) are causing more and more health problems these days. You don't have to be a vegetarian to want to eat an occasional meal without meat. These are four different types of beans that are high in protein.

1. Soybeans contain large amounts of protein in both the ripe, yellow variety and the green soybean variety (also sometimes called edamame). Yellow soybeans contain about 14.3 grams of protein for every half cup. Edamame contains just a little less and there are about 22.2 grams of protein in each cup of edamame. The protein in soybeans is a complete protein, which means that all essential amino acids that our body needs are incorporated in these beans.

1. White beans contain 15.8 grams of protein per cup. In addition, it also contains large amounts of fiber, iron, copper, manganese and vitamin B1. White beans can be bought dried and then must be soaked in water for best results.

1. Black beans are often served as a side dish alongside Mexican or Spanish dishes such as tacos, quesadillas and various dips. A cup of black beans contains about 15.2 grams of protein, which is almost 1 / 3rd of the recommended daily intake for protein. Black beans are also a good source of antioxidants.

1. After the aforementioned ways to eat pinto beans, they are also very tasty and popular as a puree (with the addition of spices and some fat). There are about 14 grams of protein in a cup of pinto beans. In addition, these beans also contain molybdenum - a mineral that helps to detoxify sulfites. Sulphites are a type of preservative to which some people are very sensitive.

1. For people who are sensitive to sulphite this often means headaches and a fast heartbeat after eating these preservatives. When there is little molybdenum in the body, it is easier to have a nasty reaction to sulfites. As a result, eating pinto beans regularly can help prevent this type of reaction.

Beans and carbohydrates

1. Beans are a cheap, nutritious, filling and versatile product. You can use beans in main dishes, side dishes, salads, cold dips and spreads. Beans are a rich source of fiber, protein and good carbohydrates. Because of their high fiber content, beans have a slower effect on your blood sugar than normal processed foods.

1. Good carbohydrates come from whole foods that contain fiber. Bad carbohydrates come from processed foods that are normally low in fiber and have a high glycemic index. This means that they increase our blood sugar levels quickly.

1. A diet high in processed carbohydrates can cause insulin resistance and the development of metabolic syndrome. This is a group of symptoms including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL (healthy cholesterol) and obesity. Insulin resistance can contribute to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and perhaps certain cancers.

1. Good carbohydrates include whole fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils and whole grains. In addition to providing carbohydrates and proteins, beans also contain phytonutrients, substances that help protect our health. Swapping meat and cheese for beans (whole or partial) in some meals can help us reduce the amount of saturated fat in our diet.

The conclusion about beans

1. Now that we know the different benefits beans have for our health and how they can help us, it's just important to know how to use them with a meal. It only takes about 3 to 4 cups of beans per week to get the maximum health benefits. Since beans are very versatile, it won't be difficult to find a few different ways to get these 3 to 4 cups of beans in every week.

1. Do you have any additional information or tips? Let me know by leaving a comment below!