The Truth About Beans Doctors Won’t Tell You

Beans are super-rich foods high in lots of essential nutrients needed by the body.
Incorporating beans into our meals is necessary and becomes even more essential as we grow older and our bodies need fewer calories. By then most of our traditional source of carbohydrate (yam, rice, etc) will become too calorie dense to be of any positive use to our bodies therefore beans must step in. They are perfectly suited because they can add all the essential nutrients we need in our meals without adding more calories.
1 cup beans contain an average of approximately 230 calories per serving, along with 16 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber and almost zero fat.
A lot of us know beans to be high in protein and that’s it. In this article you will get to know other great nutrients in beans plus how to ensure it’s fully incorporated in our everyday meal.
Nutrient Dense
Beans are nutrient rich with fiber, protein, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc.
Beans are also a great source of fiber, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, manganese, folate, copper, phosphorus and potassium.
B Vitamins: Highly essential for healthy brain and nerve cells, aids functioning of the skin, nerves and digestive system.
Calcium: Helps build strong bones and teeth and to control the acid content of the body by keeping it more alkaline, rather than acidic.
Folate: A B-vitamin which Fortifies the heart against heart diseases and cancer. Folate is not produced by our bodies, but present abundantly in beans.


Weight Management ( Fibre Content)

When we think of fibre, vegetables come readily in mind. However beans outweigh them in fibre content.
The list of fibre rich foods in order of their healthy fibre content are as follows

* Beans
* Vegetables
* Fruits
* Whole grains
No doubt beans offer the best source of fiber with approximately 15 grams of fiber per cup.
But how does this help you manage weight? (You may be asking);
In the simplest of terms, fiber is what makes you feel full!
Since weight gain has a lot to do with how much calories we take in, feeling full becomes essential in controlling how we eat. Because beans contains lots of fibre, this makes us feel full easily and helps control how much calories we consume thereby allowing us to manage our weight.

Healthy Heart
Everyone desires a healthy heart, but very few understand the role beans play in helping the heart function properly. According to a report in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating beans helps lower cholesterol levels which are essential to a fully functional heart.
Beans is good for the heart because it contains very low fat and saturated fat (Main culprits in an unhealthy heart). It’s also very rich in soluble fibre and lots of phytochemicals both great in lowering cholesterol levels.
Also beans contains folate which helps lower the levels of an amino acid called homocysteine which if present in high quantities in the blood, may lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Therefore if you eat beans regularly you may be lowering your risk of having coronary heart
disease.
Beans are also a great alternative to high-fat protein sources like red meat.

Diabetes Risk Reduction
Diabetes we understand is due to an increase in blood sugar levels mainly due to intake of excess food high in carbohydrate.
Beans contain carbohydrates too but have a low glycemic index compared to other carbohydrates. The glycemic index measures the relationship between blood sugar levels and carbohydrates in foods. A low glycemic index indicates lower chances of a food raising blood sugar level.
Furthermore, consuming more beans may lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, according to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This is partly due to the fiber and antioxidants contained in beans and also due its low glycemic index.
Cancer Prevention
If research published in "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention" in August 2000 is anything to go by, then beans should be a man’s best friend.
The study showed that men who consumed more beans and legumes in general may be less likely to suffer from prostate cancer and other forms of cancer.
The presence of fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, and the fact that they are low in fat contributes greatly to this result.
But this doesn’t mean that only men benefits from beans, as adding beans to your meal several times a week may also reduce the risk of colorectal adenomas (polyps), which may in turn lead to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. Meaning beans is also healthy for the whole family.

COMPARING BEANS

CALORIES
1 cup cooked dry beans = 1 7-ounce baked potato
= 1 cup cooked pasta
= 1 cup cooked rice
CARBOHYDRATE
1 cup cooked dry beans = 1 cup cooked pasta

FIBER
½ cup cooked kidney beans (beans contain both pectin and cellulose)
= 10 dried prunes
= 2 medium apples with peel
= 1 cup raisin bran cereal

FOLATE
1 cup cooked pinto beans = ¾ daily requirement (294 mcg) 1 cup canned spinach
= ½ daily requirement (209 mcg) 4 ounces pork liver
= ½ daily requirement (185 mcg) 2 ounces chicken liver
= full daily requirement (436 mcg)

Being More Creative With Beans
It’s good to know we don’t just have to stick to one meal all week all in the name enjoying the full benefits of beans. Beans can be made into very interesting and tasty forms apart from just cooking it directly. Beans can be grinded into flour (Eatright Bean flour), or it can be used in its solid form.
Below are some creative ways adding beans flour to our everyday meal.
• Add to soups, salads, stews and chili
• Add to pasta
• Akara (Bean Pudding)
• Cook as full course meal
• Use as flour for baking
• As thickener for soup


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LXARRtksok
https://eatright.ng/product/bean-flour/

I award you a PhD in beansiology