Health Benefits Of Beans

Some people don’t enjoy the health benefits of beans as they should because they often consider them an ‘incomplete’ protein.

This is because they don’t contain all the essential amino acids that we need in our diet, as opposed to ‘complete’ protein found in foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, dairy products and eggs, which contain ample amounts of the essential amino acids.

Although it’s important to get all the amino acids, both essential and non-essential, it’s not necessary to get them from meat. In fact, because of its high fat content- as well as the use of antibiotics and other chemicals in the raising of poultry and cattle –most of the animal protein should be eaten only in moderation.

The best way to go about it is to combine partial-protein foods to make complementary protein . For instance, although beans and brown rice are both rich in protein, each lack one or more of the necessary amino acids.

Some health practitioners suggest to combine them together to form a complete protein that is a high quality substitute for meat.

To make a complete protein they advice to combine beans with one of the following :

Brown Rice

Corn

Nuts

Seeds

Wheat

But others believe that to enjoy the health benefits of beans you don’t need to combine them with grains at each meal, as long as you eat them during the same day or 24-hour period.

All soya products, such as tofu and soy milk, are complete proteins. They contain all the essential amino acids plus several other nutrients.

Health Benefits of Beans

Many legumes, especially soya beans, are demonstrating impressive health benefits. Diets rich in beans are being used to :

Lower cholesterol

Improve diabetic’s blood glucose control

Reduce risk of many cancers

Lower blood pressure

Regulate functions of the colon

Prevent and cure constipation

Prevent piles and other bowel problems

Also richly coloured dried beans offer a high degree of antioxidant protection. In fact,  small red kidney beans rate even higher than blueberries.

A lesser-known benefit of beans, though, is their high levels of isoflavones, compounds that are similar in structure to estrogen produced by your body (which is why they are also called phyoestrogens).

These isoflavones may ease the symptoms of menopause, prevent some form of cancer, reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your bone and prostate health, among other benefits.

Beans, a Rich Source of Fibre

Four types of beans

Many people fail to enjoy the health of beans because of the side effects experienced by some people.

As we’ve seen, the fact that beans are not completely digested brings its own health benefits, but it can cause flatulence (wind) or intestinal discomfort to some people.

This is caused by a type of fibre found in beans, called oligosaccharides, which is composed of three to five sugar molecules linked together in such a way that the body cannot digest or absorb them.

So they pass into the intestines, where the bacteria break them down and gas is produced.

Haricot and lima beans are generally the most offensive, while peanuts are the least offensive because of their lower levels of oligosaccharides.

The amount of oligosaccharides in legumes can be significantly reduced by properly cooking or sprouting them and as a consequence, the flatulence can be reduced as well allowing you to enjoy the health benefits of beans without causing offense.

Thanks,

Health,February-2013