Green Girl Goodies: A Guide to Happy Healthy Eats: Friday Food Facts: Beans

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday Food Facts: Beans

Green Girl Goodies, September 2012

Featuring information from SuperFoods: Fourteen Foods that will Change Your Life by Steven G. Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews

Beans are found in all different colors, shapes and sizes. Frequently passed over by the average person because of their lengthy cooking time and the fear of flatulence, beans are actually a virtual wonder food. Beans are one of the most healthy and economical sources of protein available today. They are inexpensive, versatile in cooking, and a vitamin-rich, low-fat source of protein and fiber. And that is just scratching the surface of the power of the bean.

Also known as legumes or pulses, beans are a large family of plants distinguished by their seed bearing pods. Some beans like sugar snap peas, green beans and green peas are eaten fresh. Most others are dried and simmered before eating. I will discuss more about cooking with beans later in the post.

Beans can help lower cholesterol, combat heart disease and hypertension, lessen the risk of cancer, stabilize blood sugar levels, reduce obesity, relieve constipation and even reduce the risk of type II diabetes. Critics of the bean have long argued that it cannot be substituted for animal proteins because it is not a complete protein. Beans do lack 2 amino acids essential for allowing the body to make use of the protein. However, bean protein can be completed by many other common foods such as nuts, dairy, grains or even animal protein. The bean and its complementary food don’t even have to be consumed at the same meal, just in the same day. Consider this: By substituting beans for meat not only are you avoiding all the saturated fats but you are getting the benefits of the fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients! Not only that but eating plant protein like that found in beans leads to less calcium loss than when consuming animal protein because of the acidity that occurs when eating meat.

Lastly, beans play a critical role in weight management. Simply put: they fill you up without a lot of calories. If you add beans to your diet, you are more likely to get full before you get fat. The high fiber content of the bean controls your blood sugar to keep hunger at bay while maintaining high energy levels. Now who doesn’t find this appealing??

As for the fear of flatulence, here are a few tips to help reduce any discomfort you may find comes along with beans becoming a part of your regular diet:

- If you eat beans frequently in small amounts your body will become accustomed to them and will naturally reduce any digestive problems.

- Soak beans for at least an hour or up to overnight and discard the soaking liquid. Remember that this does decrease the nutrient value slightly.

- Pressure-cooking beans can help reduce their gas producing qualities but also destroys some nutrients.

All in all, if you can tolerate the digestive issues, no soaking will give you the most nutritional bang for your buck. And for the varieties of bean not dried, consuming them raw provides the most benefits.

When it comes to cooking with beans, the possibilities are endless. Beans are able to take on almost any flavor you want and blend well with all different types of ethnic and American cuisine. Some of my favorite varieties are black beans, lentils, sugar snap peas and green beans.

Dried Beans can be stewed as a side or in soups and chilis. They are also great cold in salads or pureed into spreads like hummus or black bean dip. Fresh beans like green beans or snap peas are delicious raw or blanched on their own or in a salad. They can also be sautéed, steamed and roasted and are a great side dish to any meal.