Just
announced! A new U.S. Dietary Guidance Message about beans. Click here for more information
on the exciting new accouncement!
RESEARCH
SHOWS EATING BEANS CAN HELP CONTROL WEIGHT, REDUCE RISK OF HEART
DISEASE, CANCER AND DIABETES. Click
here for more information about a new scientific report
from Michigan State University.
EAT BEANS FOR BETTER HEALTH.
Adding beans to your diet is easy and tasty! Click here
for meal options, recipes and tips.
Health
& Nutrition
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.
Please
click the pyramid for more information from the United States Department
of Agriculture (www.MyPyramid.gov).
Protein
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.
Complex
Carbohydrates
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.
Fiber
Beans
are one of the best sources of dietary fiber, containing both
insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber, generally thought
of as "roughage" that 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). Beans are an extremely beneficial component
in the diabetes diet because they are high in dietary fiber and
low in fat and sodium. A high-fiber diet helps control diabetes
and maintain healthy blood glucose levels. In addition, beans
are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates - a good way
to help control blood sugar levels. And, since fiber-rich foods
like beans are filling, they are helpful in weight control. 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.
Calcium
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.
Potassium
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).
Many
dry beans contain a good source of potassium naturally. 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.
Folate 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. In addition,
studies show that folate may help reduce the risk of certain
birth defects, like spina bifida (a potentially crippling defect
in which the spinal cord is not completely encased in bone)
and anencephaly (a fatal defect in which a major part of the
brain never develops).
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.
A
recent study by Tulane University in New Orleans found that people
who ate beans at least four times a week were 19 percent less
prone to heart disease than those who ate beans once a week. The
study also revealed that bean eaters lowered their overall risk
of cardiovascular disease by nine percent.
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.
Just
announced! A new U.S. Dietary Guidance Message about beans.
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.