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Bean Diet
Given the fact that obesity is becoming an increasingly common problem all over the world, it is good to see an ever increasing number of people start to take not only their exercise, but also their diet a little more seriously. The fact that most of us lead very hectic and fast paced lives means that there is an ever increasing reliance on fast foods. These foods include hot dogs, fries, burgers and so on that provide the body with absolutely no nutrition and simply stock it up with empty calories that are simply converted into fat cells once they have been consumed. Understanding calories and calorie counts is an important part of understanding how to eat the right kinds of food. Although the term beans is a very regularly used word in diet plans as well as recipes, the term actually represents a whole family of different types of beans that belong to the legumes family.
Soy beans, kidney beans and black eyed peas are known to be some of the more commonly used beans and are also highly regarded for their nutritious quality. Thus a bean diet could be very useful in providing you with the right nutrition. Bean nutrition is an important part of an individual’s daily diet as the soluble fibers present in these foods make them very easy to digest in addition to the fact that they are very tasty additions to almost any kind of meal. However, one aspect to keep in mind that heavy bean nutrition is also known to cause flatulence – so adding some spices to your meal is likely to cut out the flatulence and allow you to enjoy the tasty meal.
Having a beans diet can be easily accomplished by the fact that beans can be consumed frozen, canned or dried. The canned beans, however, are known to contain higher sodium choice than the frozen variety while the dried beans will usually retain all of the original sodium content. An intense bean nutrition diet is also known to contain almost as much iron content as meat, although this form of non heme iron is not absorbed as effectively as the heme iron variety found in meats.
This can be corrected by ensuring that you add some vitamin C containing foods to your diet as the combination aids in iron absorption of the body. There are a number of tasty and nutritious beans recipes available on the internet as well as in the cooking section of your local bookstore that you can refer to for any fresh ideas. Remember to keep your doctor informed on the bean nutrition diet plan you are following.
Nutritional Benefits Of Beans
Beans are a common name associated with legumes.
The green bean is a commonly seen domestic plant, referred to as Phaseolus vulgaris. The leaf of beans is used as a vegetable and the vegetable is also called as string beans or snap beans. It is a dicotyledon and provides the farm with the vital nutrients through nitrogen fixing bacteria. It belongs to the Fabaceae family. They are low in calories and high in vitamin C, K and A. They also provide a rich supply of dietary fiber, starch, protein, vitamin B1, B6, folic acid, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and molybdenum. Beans are also a good source of niacin, calcium, copper and omega 3 fatty acids.
Any nutrient laden vegetable is always rich in antinutrients. Lectin or hemagluttenin is a common toxic non-nutrient seen in beans, resulting in stomach upset. Hence, green beans should be boiled for fifteen minutes for removal of lectins. Oxalates are yet another antinutrient seen in beans, which in turn crystallizes and results in further complications. They also inhibit the absorption of calcium in the body. A high protein diet of a vegetarian can comprise green beans.
As beans are a good source of vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants, they help in decreasing the risk of damage caused by free radicals. They also protect the oxidation of cholesterol, thereby causing a reduction in the risk of stroke and heart attack. Heart disease reduction is an effective feature of beans in the diet. High fiber foods comprise of whole grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables. These aids in cholesterol reduction.16% of the daily value of fiber is provided by a cup of boiled beans.
Cancer nutrition is one more field researching upon beans. Vitamin A in beans is a fat soluble antioxidant and vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant. This combination of fat and water soluble antioxidant complex aids in preventing cholesterol oxidation. They protect from free radical damage. It helps from colon cancer. The vitamins save the cells of the colon from the free radicals. The folic acid protects the cells from DNA damage in the presence of carcinogenic substances. In addition, folic acid helps in breakdown of homocysteine, excess of which affects the blood vessels and results in plaque formation, which further causes stroke. The fiber in beans attaches to the carcinogenic toxins, thereby eliminating them form the body, protecting the colon from cancer.
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