Beans

I love beans, not only are they tasty and versatile, the health benefits are simply amazing! If I told you all the things beans can do for you, you would be ready to pay any price for such an amazing medical miracle . . . yet beans are surprisingly inexpensive!

According to eSSORTMENT beans have been, "Proven to be a major player in the fight against cancer." That alone is worth adding beans to your diet as often as possible; however, eSSORTMENT goes on to say a lot more about beans.

For example, I knew that fiber-rich beans help prevent constipation which, in turn, prevents hemorrhoids, and that beans lower cholesterol, and stabilize blood sugar, however, I did not really understand how.

So if you're a nuts -n- bolts type of person, you may want to click the link and read the whole article, it's really quite informative.

Most of us are familiar with Prevention Magazine, a much respected authority in the health care information sector. Well, brace yourself because Prevention says beans are, "Nature's Perfect Food" and goes on to claim, "Beans have the highest antioxidant content, period."

Wow! Now that's a powerful statement! Yet beans are so underappreciated by the majority of the people who prefer instead to consume less healthy alternatives which lead to health problems.

Prevention goes on to say beans have calcium, potassium, and magnesium. They are tied to reducing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and both breast and colon cancers as well. Amazingly, Prevention also claims red, pinto, and kidney beans are THE HIGHEST antioxidant food, yes, even higher than blueberries and cranberries!

Sounds like a good time to make up a big pot of chili full of red and kidney beans! Nothing like chili anyway ... it is hearty and satisfying! My dad makes it with venison and hominy added. I prefer it without hominy but hominy really has no flavor anyway so it's still fantastic.

You're probably thinking, "But what about the embarrassing side-effects of eating beans?" . . . am I right?

I found this great article that explains exactly why beans contribute so nicely to our musical abilities and how to properly prepare the beans to most effectively minimize this entirely. It's at Bnet, check it out! In addition to the previously mentioned nutrients, Bnet also adds that beans are full of photochemicals, folate, protein, vitamin B-6, zinc, copper and iron.

My favorite thing to make with beans is bean soup. When I cook I make a huge pot of whatever I'm cooking and divide it up and freeze smaller portions so next time I can just thaw it out and heat it up. Bean soup is excellent for this purpose and you will always have a healthy meal without the time-consuming soaking and cooking of the beans.

If your family is picky and won't eat beans, you can always soak them and cook them and grind them up and sneak them into the hamburger before you pat it out and make hamburgers. If you start out with a small amount and next time put a little more, they won't even notice.

So, as the last line of the famous song goes, "Let's eat beans for every meal!"

Sources:

http://www.essortment.com/all/benefitsofbean_rbdb.htm

http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/natures-perfect-food/7aef06ef823d6110VgnVCM10000013281eac____/nutrition.recipes/grocery.guru/smart.shopping

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_4_26/ai_54561197/