Beans - A Nutritional Power House
When separating the "haves" from the "have nots" on the playing field of nutrition, beans line up as first-string all-stars. Beans are found in two places on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid - with high-protein foods such as meat, eggs, poultry and fish, and also with vitamin-rich vegetables. The double dose of nutrition packed into beans make them a "must have" in the daily diet.
Beans are an extremely beneficial component in all diets because they are high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber, low in fat, calories and sodium, and completely cholesterol-free. As little as a half-cup of beans added to the daily diet can be very helpful in reaching important nutrition goals.
Beans are an excellent, non-fat source of protein. Just one cup of beans provides as much as 16 grams of protein.
According to Food Label Laws and Regulations, approximately 10 percent of your daily calories should come from protein. Adults generally need to eat between 50-60 grams of protein a day.
Why is protein so important? The body converts protein into amino acids which make up and repair muscle and bone tissue. Protein also fights infections, helps heal wounds and regulates enzymes and hormones.
Beans are loaded with complex carbohydrates - the nutrient that provides energy to the muscles and brain. Just one cup of beans can provide 15 percent of the carbohydrates needed daily. Plus, beans have the best type of carbohydrate for maximum energy - those considered to be low or moderate glycemic index carbohydrates. Beans and other carbohydrates with a low to moderate glycemic index have the unique ability to provide energy over a longer period of time by being slowly released into your bloodstream to provide sustained energy.
Ounce for ounce, complex carbohydrates provide half the calories of fat. They are absorbed more slowly than simple carbohydrates, such as table sugar and candy, so beans easily satisfy hunger for longer periods of time.
Beans are one of the best sources of dietary fiber, containing both insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber moves quickly through the digestive system, is important in our diets because it helps promote a healthy digestive tract and can reduce the risk of some types of cancer. During digestion, soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance, which helps the body handle fats, cholesterol and carbohydrates. Soluble fiber plays a role in helping to lower blood cholesterol levels, one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease.
Studies link high fiber diets to reduced cholesterol levels and lowered cancer risks. In addition, beans are found in the largest food group of the Diabetes Food Pyramid developed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). A high-fiber diet helps control diabetes and maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Just one cup of cooked beans can provide as much as 15 grams of dietary fiber, more than half the daily value (DV) of 25 grams.
Like any source of fiber, beans should be added gradually to the diet. Consumption should be increased over a four- to eight-week period, even if it's a bite or two per day, with a goal of one-half cup beans per day. It is also important to drink plenty of liquids when adding more fiber to your diet, because fluids help reduce the natural side effects of digesting fiber-rich foods. The key is to continue eating beans once the body's system is adjusted.
When it comes to getting calcium, every bit helps. Adding beans to your diet is a good way to reach your recommended intake. The recommended calcium intake for adults is 1,000 mg per day. A half-cup of beans provides as much as eight percent of the recommended daily allowance for calcium - as much or more than some kinds of ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Kids need calcium to build a strong skeleton, but the need doesn't stop there. Throughout adulthood, calcium is necessary to maintain bones and help prevent osteoporosis, a decrease in bone density that can lead to fractures and disability.
Beans contain an abundance of potassium, which may help reduce your risk of high blood pressure and stroke. According to a health claim recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, "diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke." According to USDA data, more than 80 percent of American adults do not consume the daily value for potassium (3,500 mg).
Just one-half cup of cooked dry beans contains as much as 480 mg of potassium. Plus, dry-packaged beans are naturally low in sodium, with no more than 5 mg of sodium in a one-half cup serving.
Our bodies do not produce folate, an important B vitamin that provides many health benefits, so it is important to get it from the foods we eat. Foods containing folate include dry beans, leafy green vegetables, fruit and fruit juices. Of all these foods, dry beans are the best source of folate. Eating one cup of cooked dry beans provides, on average, 264 mcg of folate, which can help most Americans reach their daily recommended intake.
- Folate For Women
Folate is important for all women of childbearing age, and critical before and during the early months of pregnancy. Because folate is so important during the first few weeks of pregnancy - when 50 percent of women aren't even aware they are pregnant - the U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women of childbearing age consumer 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate each day. Folate plays an important role in proper cell development, which occurs rapidly during the earliest stages of pregnancy.
Folate For Heart Health
Folate protects against heart disease by breaking down an amino acid called homocysteine. According to medical studies from Harvard Medical School and from the Framingham (Massachusetts) Heart Study, high levels of homocysteine in the blood and inadequate amounts of folate in the diet can triple the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Folate To Curtail Cancer Risk
Research has found that folate may help reduce the risk of several types of cancer because it plays an important role in healthy cell division and is crucial to the repair of damaged cells. Folate can help prevent some of the damage to lung tissue caused by smoking and protect cervical tissue from forming abnormal cells that can lead to cancer, according to researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In addition, people with higher folate levels are less likely than others to develop colon cancer, according to researchers at the University of Chicago, Tufts University and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
The information in this page was taken from the American Dry Bean Association webpage. The (ADBB) - American Dry Bean Board is made up of leaders in the bean industry with the common goal of educating U.S. consumers about the benefits of beans. Goya is a proud member of the Board.