Experts recommend eating up to 3 cups of legumes per week because they are very beneficial to your health. You have a lot to choose from – black beans, mung beans, red beans, kidney beans, and more. What are the benefits of eating beans regularly?
Pulses contain a lot of fiber
Fiber helps your body feel full, so you don't need to eat too much throughout the day. While current dietary guidelines recommend that women consume about 25 grams of fiber per day, many fall short of the requirements. On average, women consume only 12.1 to 13.8 grams of fiber per day. Just half a cup of cooked beans contains nearly 10 grams of fiber. "The fibers in the beans don't really break down," Sass said. This means it won't wear out too much, even if you cook them. In addition, the skin and meat of beans contain fiber. "So when you make a white bean dip or a black bean hummus, you're actually using the whole bean," Sass said.
Beans aid digestion
Pulses contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, so they can act as a dual agent to keep your digestive system running smoothly. The first slows digestion and leaves you feeling full, and the second helps prevent constipation. The harm of beans to gasoline is not as great as you think. A study in the Journal of Nutrition looked at the effects of spotted beans and black beans on the gastrointestinal tract. Participants ate half a cup of both beans a day for three weeks. Although less than half of them reported an increase in flatulence in the first week, most of them felt dissipated by the third week. The study concluded: "Concerns about excessive flatulence from eating legumes may be exaggerated. Be sure to drink plenty of water — you need it to help all the fiber through your gastrointestinal tract, Sars said.
Beans can help regulate blood sugar
In addition to being high in fiber, most legumes also have a low glycemic index, which ranks foods based on how they affect blood sugar. "Because of fiber and protein, carbohydrates in beans are absorbed at a slower rate over a longer period of time," Sass said. This helps keep blood sugar stable — one of the reasons why pulses are thought to help control diabetes. One study in the internal medicine archives even found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed a cup of legumes a day for three weeks were able to maintain lower blood sugar and blood pressure compared to when they started dieting.
Legumes can help lower cholesterol
High levels of LDL cholesterol (bad) can stick to the walls of blood vessels, leading to inflammation and plaque buildup. A healthy cardiovascular system starts with what you eat, and legumes are a low-fat food you need. "Soluble fiber in legumes binds to cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract, preventing it from being absorbed by the bloodstream," Sass said. A study in the Canadian Medical Journal found that eating one serving of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils a day reduced LDL levels by 5% and the chance of developing cardiovascular disease by 5% to 6%.
Beans are good for your heart
A legume-rich diet is good news for your heart. "For every 1 percent reduction in total blood cholesterol, the risk of heart attack is reduced by 2 percent," Sass said. Then there is their high fiber content. A study in the British Medical Journal found that consuming an additional 7 grams of fiber per day significantly reduced the risk of any disease by 9%. Legumes are also a good source of potassium and magnesium, which are key minerals in the heart. Potassium naturally removes excess sodium and water from your system, Sass says, lowering blood pressure. Magnesium, on the other hand, helps regulate neurological function and blood pressure according to the National Institutes of Health.
Pulses are high in iron
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and the main cause of anemia, a condition in which the body's red blood cell count is lower than normal. Current guidelines recommend that women consume about 18 mg of iron per day, but many do not meet this goal. Eating beans is one way to start increasing your iron intake: for example, half a cup of cooked lentils contains 3.3 mg. However, because legumes are plant foods, they contain non-heme iron, which is not as easily absorbed as heme iron found in meat. For better absorption, it is recommended that you eat legumes with foods rich in vitamin C. "Vitamin C significantly increases the absorption of non-heme iron, increasing its absorption by a factor of six," Sars said. "So pair beans with foods like bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes and citrus."
Legumes are a good source of B vitamins
In many legume varieties, you'll find thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, B6, and folic acid — B vitamins that help you convert food into energy, raise good cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and more. Studies have shown that folic acid and B6 may also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A Japanese study on stroke found that higher intakes of folic acid and vitamin B6 were associated with fewer deaths from heart failure in men, while also in women who died from stroke, heart disease and overall cardiovascular events. While you can also get B vitamins from fish, whole grains, and vegetables, adding legumes to your diet is a great way to stay strong.
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