Do You Know the Health Benefits of Beans?

This broad category of beans includes

• Black beans
• Black-eyed beans
• Chickpeas or garbanzos
• Fava beans
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Lima beans
• Split peas
• Plus several other fresh and other dried beans.

 

A regular intake of beans reduces bad cholesterol, and helps regulate blood sugar.

 

They help beneficially with Bowel problems. Importantly, with regards to high blood pressure, not only does the gut benefit from the very important fibre but there is also a release of specific chemicals that research has shown help reduce high blood pressure.

 

High blood pressure can be reduced by the addition of beans to the diet as they help to support beneficial bacteria in the gut. The fermentation of the high levels of soluble fibre in the beans produces specific fatty acids that are known to reduce blood pressure.

 

Soya beans are known to both reduce blood pressure and reduce the incidence of cancers. Soya beans provide several additional positive health factors that contribute to wellbeing and an enhanced immune System.

 

Did You Know?

Beans additionally contain concentrated carriers of chemicals that counteract cancer-causing compounds in the intestine.

Beans contain known cancer preventing chemical compounds, which are called protease inhibitors – enzymes that counteract the activation of cancer causing compounds in the intestines.

 

These protease inhibitors turn off oncogenes which are the genetic carriers contained in normal cells of the body that if activated can develop into cancer. Beans also contain powerful anti-cancer substances called lignans.

 

We know that beans are associated with intestinal wind as humans generally lack the specific enzymes that digest the complex bean sugars called alpha-galactosides.

The gut bacteria process the undigested sugars resulting in wind production. The intestines do adapt to the consumption of beans over time.

 

To reduce the incidence of wind production (in fact by up to ninety percent) what is required is to rinse the dried beans then pour boiling water over them and then let them soak for four hours.  After having soaked the beans, discard the water, and then cook them.

 

While some of the vitamin and mineral content is lost through the cooking process the advantage of other chemical compounds contained within beans is overall of great benefit in reducing high blood pressure and cancer risk. Vitamin and mineral rich foods can be consumed at the same meal to compensate for any loss.

 

 

References available

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Disclaimer

NOTE: The information in this document is not intended to replace orthodox medical treatment. The information offered in this document is offered as additional complimentary information.