benefits of beans

Dry beans are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibers, so they provide the nutritional benefits of both fiber classes. The soluble fiber in beans dissolves in water, trapping bile which helps to lower blood levels of LDL cholesterol, especially if LDL cholesterol levels were high to begin with, without compromising the level of protective HDL cholesterol. Dry beans also provide substantial amounts of insoluble fiber, which help attract water to the stool and enhance transit time of waste through the colon. This may help to combat constipation, colon cancer, and other conditions that afflict the digestive tract.

Dry beans are very good source of low fat protein. They contain between 21 to 25% protein by weight, which is much higher than other vegetable products. In many parts of the world, they provide a substantial proportion of the total protein intake for the population. The intake of dried beans as a protein source is extremely important worldwide as they provide a good source of protein at minimal cost relative to the production of animal protein sources.

The fat content of dry beans is very low (less than 2% of total content), and they contain predominately unsaturated fatty acids. There is some variation based on variety and growth conditions, but most beans contain about 85% of their fat as unsaturated fatty acids. Because dry beans are plant foods, they are cholesterol free.

As for vitamins and minerals, beans are an excellent source of copper, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium

A nutrient rich food, beans contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium. The lean protein in beans helps maintain and promote muscle while beans complex carbohydrates provide a sustained energy source.

Folate, a vitamin very important for pregnant women and their unborn babies, is found in beans. During pregnancy, women need more folate. Expectant mothers who consume enough of the right nutrients can help reduce the risk of birth defects. beans are a very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, trace minerals that are essential cofactors of a key oxidative enzyme called superoxide dismutase.

Beans are especially important for people with certain food allergies and intolerances. For example, some people cant tolerate gluten, a natural protein present in wheat, barley and rye. Because beans dont contain gluten, or major allergens found in various grains, substituting beans can help provide the fiber and other nutrients that people on restricted diets may be missing. Beans come in a variety of convenient forms (such as canned beans, bean flours and dehydrated beans) that can be used in place of allergenic and gluten containing ingredients.

The term bean originally referred to the seed of the broad or fava bean,[citation needed] but was later expanded to include members of the New World genus Phaseolus, such as the common bean and the runner bean, and the related genus Vigna. The term is now applied generally to many other related plants such as Old World soybeans, peas, chickpeas (garbanzos), vetches, and lupins.[citation needed]

Many edible beans, including broad beans and soybeans, contain oligosaccharides (particularly raffinose and stachyose), a type of sugar molecule also found in cabbage. An anti oligosaccharide enzyme is necessary to properly digest these sugar molecules. As a normal human digestive tract does not contain any anti oligosaccharide enzymes, consumed oligosaccharides are typically digested by bacteria in the large intestine. This digestion process produces flatulence causing gases as a byproduct. This aspect of bean digestion is the basis for the childrens rhyme Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit.

Some kinds of raw beans, especially red and kidney beans, contain a harmful toxin (lectin phytohaemagglutinin) that must be removed by cooking. A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; undercooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans. Cooking beans in a slow cooker, because of the lower temperatures often used, may not destroy toxins even though the beans do not smell or taste bad (though this should not be a problem if the food reaches boiling temperature and stays there for some time).