Eat Beans as Part of a Healthy and Nutritious Diet

There's nothing like a good pot of beans simmering on the stove. Add some sides like cornbread or rice, and you're all set for a yummy nutritious meal. What kind of beans are in your pot? Perhaps more importantly, what's in the beans? Here are five to start with.

Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are full of fiber, which won't come as a surprise to most of you. But did you know that just one cup of cooked pintos will give you 58.8% of the recommended daily intake of fiber? Pinto beans also provide plenty of protein, folate, magnesium and iron, and the B vitamin thiamine helps to maintain your memory.

Pinto beans can help those sensitive to sulfites, a preservative added to salad bars and delicatessen salads. It's the trace mineral molybdenum that helps detoxify sulfates.

Black Beans

Black beans are also known as turtle beans, most likely because they are shiny and dark with a shell-like appearance. As are most legumes, they are full of cholesterol-lowering fiber and loaded with antioxidants. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, research has shown that the darker the bean is, the more antioxidants it has.

One study showed that black beans have ten times as much antioxidant levels as an equivalent amount of oranges. It doesn't stop there; black beans are high in fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar, and contain iron, manganese, and magnesium among others.

Garbanzo Beans

Garbanzo beans are sometimes called chickpeas and have a nutty flavor and buttery texture. You'll find them in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes such as hummus, curries and falafels. They are full of fiber and protein, they lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, while providing iron for energy.

Indeed, if your iron is low, garbanzo beans are a good substitute for red meat. Less meat in the diet means less fat and calories. In contrast to meat garbanzo beans are low in calories and almost fat-free.

Kidney Beans

Kidney Beans are just chock full of good things. There's the fiber, the protein, the iron and the thiamine. Kidney beans are shaped like a kidney and are usually dark red, although white kidney beans are called cannellini beans. Just one cup of kidney beans provides 15.3 grams of protein, 57.3% of the recommended daily intake of folate, and 19.9% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium. All those percentages are a good thing!

Navy Beans

In the early 20^th century, the U.S. Navy gave the sailors plenty of navy beans, which is how this small white bean came by its current, popular name. Good things definitely come in small packages, and like most other legumes, navy beans are a powerhouse of fiber and protein. They provide iron for energy, stabilize blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol and heart attack risk.

So there you have it. Beans not only taste good, they're healthy and inexpensive. In fact, I'm craving some now-maybe black beans or garbanzos in a salad.

www.americanbean.com
www.whfoods.org