Although eating beans may sometimes cause stomach upset, a nutrition expert says that a dish of beans should be included in anyone’s diet, given its great nutritional value and overall health benefits.
“Beans are a unique food because they are a source of protein and also contain a complex group of carbohydrates,” says Mobilola Adyamu, a nutritionist at the University of California, Los Angeles. They are also considered a vegetable, according to the USDA.
“There is no other food item that has all these benefits,” Adyamo added in statements to the website “Health Day”, which specializes in medical research.
One does not have to eat large amounts of beans to enjoy their health benefits.
Fiber
“One of the benefits of beans is that they contain large amounts of fiber,” Adiyamo explains. “However, half a cup of beans contains 8 grams of fiber, which represents 25% of a person’s daily fiber needs.”
Beans are one of the main sources of plant protein, and therefore they are an ideal food for vegetarians, as they provide them with the protein their body needs, especially since they do not get animal protein from the plant-based meals they are keen to eat.
Researchers confirm that beans are also rich in minerals that the body needs, as half a cup of beans contains between 300 to 500 milligrams of potassium, which plays an important role in maintaining blood pressure. Beans also contain other substances that are beneficial to the body, such as iron, copper, magnesium, folic acid, and vitamin B6.
The fiber in beans also helps lower blood sugar, prevents constipation, protects against colon cancer and helps maintain weight, Adiyamo says.