What Are The Benefits Of Red Beans? Potential Harm To The Body

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

The benefits and harms of red beans

Red beans are one of the most ancient cultivated plants; South America is considered its homeland. However, it is known for certain that beans were grown in ancient Rome and Egypt. Moreover, beans are mentioned in Chinese chronicles dating back to 2800 BC. Moreover, the product was used not only for food, but also for cosmetic purposes. So, the famous Cleopatra mask consisted of beans. The "conquest" of Europe by beans began in the 16th century. She was brought to Russia from France. At first, beans were prized solely for their decorative qualities, and they were planted in gardens. Only after two centuries the product began to be consumed, and the beans have not lost their relevance at this point in time.

Red beans have many health benefits and are an irreplaceable food item. It keeps well and does not deteriorate for a long time. The main advantage of beans is their high nutritional value, which surpasses the nutritional value of many food products of animal origin.

Content:

• Useful properties of red beans
• Nutritional value of red beans
• What is red beans combined with
• Harm of red beans and contraindications to its use
• How to cook and store red beans?

Useful properties of red beans

The health benefits of red beans are a proven fact. The product is a valuable source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D. Beans also contain many micro- and macroelements, including: zinc, copper, sulfur, iron, potassium, arginine, magnesium, calcium, tyrosine, carotene.

Despite the high nutritional value of red beans, they are a dietary food product, and they also contain a lot of vegetable fiber. The protein contained in beans puts them practically on a par with fish and meat.

Red beans are a real storehouse of amino acids, they contain:

• Tryptophan, which has a sedative effect on the body, helps fight depression, normalizes sleep, relieves stress and generally has a positive effect on the nervous system.
• Arginine, which protects the female reproductive system. And also arginine is part of collagen, which is responsible for the youthfulness of the skin.
• Lysine, which prevents viruses from entering the body, helps in the fight against intestinal infections, with the herpes virus. Lysine prevents the development of cancer.

• Tyrosine contributes to the normalization of the endocrine glands, prevents weight gain, acts as a powerful antidepressant, improves adrenal function, and reduces the severity of allergic reactions. Tyrosine is an antioxidant that binds free radicals.
• Histidine is an assistant in the fight against anemia, as it is part of hemoglobin. Also, this amino acid supports the functioning of the auditory nerve, absorbs ultraviolet rays, and normalizes the functioning of the joints.

Regular consumption of red beans will allow you to fully experience its health benefits, namely:

• The product allows you to normalize digestion, as it contains dietary fiber. There are especially many of them in the skin of legumes. Beans must be included in the menu for people suffering from constipation.
• Thanks to red beans, you can maintain a normal level of acidity in the body. This allows you to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria, get rid of flatulence and excess weight.

• The product is a valuable source of energy. This is possible due to the fact that red beans contain soluble fiber, which, after entering the human gastrointestinal tract, mixes with liquid and forms a gel-like substance. The bacteria that live in the intestine metabolize this fiber and create short-chain fatty acids from it. They are the ones that the body needs to produce energy. Therefore, beans should be used by people engaged in hard physical labor, athletes, weakened patients during the recovery period.
• Beans help prevent atherosclerosis, regulate cholesterol levels, because there is practically no fat in them.
• Thanks to red beans, blood pressure can be normalized. It contains three essential minerals - calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are responsible for the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
• Eating the product helps prevent muscle spasms and reduce their severity.



• Folic acid, which is very abundant in red beans, protects the cardiovascular system, reduces the level of homocysteine in the blood (this substance contributes to the development of heart and vascular diseases), participates in the process of hematopoiesis

• It is known that folic acid is the most important element, without which the normal formation of the fetal neural tube is impossible. Therefore, if there are no contraindications, it is imperative to include beans in the menu of pregnant women.
• The iron contained in red beans prevents the development of anemia, is responsible for the normal supply of oxygen to all tissues and organs.
• Thanks to beans, you can cleanse the body of toxic substances, from heavy metals.
• Beans are a valuable product for diabetics as they help to normalize blood glucose levels.
• Regular consumption of the product in food can improve the condition of the skin and hair.
• Beans are included in the diet of people suffering from diseases of the urinary system. The product has a diuretic effect.

Separately, it is worth noting the possibility of eating red beans for weight loss. Almost all nutritionists recommend it to be included in the menu of their patients. Vegetable protein from beans is easily digestible, so you can eat dishes with it even for dinner.

It is good to eat beans for breakfast while losing weight, or use them as a side dish at lunchtime. After such a dish, the feeling of satiety remains for a long time, due to the fact that blood sugar will not rise sharply.

Nutritional value of red beans

The calorie content of red beans per 100 g of product is 93 kcal. The nutritional value:

• Proteins - 8.4 g.
• Fat - 0.3 g.
• Carbohydrates - 13.7 g.

What is red beans combined with

Many different dishes can be prepared from red beans.

This legume goes well with foods such as:

• Vegetables: carrots, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, beets and garlic.
• Nuts: walnuts and almonds.
• Herbs: parsley, oregano, basil, cilantro, and rosemary.
• Mushrooms.
• Milk products.
• Eggs.
• All young cheeses.
• You can use any vegetable oil, tomato sauce, or lemon juice as a dressing for beans.

Combinations of red beans with other foods can be very diverse. For lovers of spicy food, you can use the recipes of Mexican cuisine, in which no hot dish is complete without the addition of beans. She is a frequent "guest" in traditional Georgian, Armenian, Turkish and Hindu cuisine. The taste qualities of red beans are simply excellent, so it is not surprising that they are widespread throughout the world.

Harm of red beans and contraindications to its use

It would seem that such a wonderful product cannot harm the human body. This doesn't actually happen if the red beans are cooked properly. The fact is that a raw product, when eaten, can cause poisoning of the body. Beans that have not been heat treated contain the toxic substance phenazine. Therefore, it is so important to cook or simmer the beans for at least 45 minutes. During the cooking process, the poison is destroyed and the product becomes completely harmless.

It is worth paying attention to the amount of beans consumed, as it contains a substance called hemagglutinin. If it is excessively ingested, it may develop diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Red beans are contraindicated in the presence of the following diseases:

• Gastritis.
• Colitis.
• Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
• Cholecystitis.

With caution, you need to eat the product for elderly people. This is due to the fact that their enzymatic ability is reduced, which can cause certain difficulties in the digestion of beans. Women who are expecting a baby should not get too carried away with red beans, but pregnant women can use beans in moderation. It is also necessary to carefully offer beans to children under 12 years of age. The precaution is due to the inconclusive formation of the mucous membranes of the digestive system in terms of the breakdown of coarse fiber.

Thus, we can conclude that red beans are a healthy product that combines many vitamins and trace elements. However, it must be properly prepared and not consumed in large quantities. It is also worth remembering about the existing contraindications.

How to cook and store red beans?

To make cooked red beans tasty and healthy, you need to soak them before starting the heat treatment. To do this, use ordinary cool water.

The beans are kept in water for the following reasons:

• Thanks to soaking, it is possible to get rid of that part of the toxic substances that are in the peel of legumes.
• The beans will absorb the water and grow in size.
• The cooking time can be shortened.
• The starch will be washed off the surface of the beans.
• The soaked beans are not boiled.
• Along with toxic substances, oligosaccharides will be partially removed from the beans. As a result, the use of the finished product will not provoke flatulence.

You can cook beans in a saucepan, in a frying pan, in a roaster. The soaking time of the beans is about 6 hours. One cup of raw beans will require three cups of clean water. You can change the water during the soaking process, although this is not a prerequisite. Nothing will happen if the grains are left soaked overnight.

Before boiling, the beans must be rinsed with running water. You can use a colander for convenience.

It is not recommended to stir during heat treatment of grain, so as not to violate their integrity. You can avoid burning them in a simple way: you need to add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan.

The average cooking time for red beans is 1.5-2 hours. Before turning off the gas, you need to taste the grains. If they are tough, then the cooking time of the beans should be increased.

It is recommended to salt the beans at the very end of cooking. Salt is believed to increase cooking time.

You can cook red beans without first soaking them in water. But at the same time, the cooking time will be significantly increased. So, it can reach 3.5 hours or more. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the water level in the pot, as dry red beans will absorb more liquid than they will soak. If the water boils away, then it needs to be added. Boiling water should be added, not cold water, since even a thick skin of red beans may not withstand such temperature changes and burst.

Since the boiling time for beans is several hours, it is very convenient to cook large quantities of beans right away. They can be stored by wrapping small portions in plastic bags and storing them in the freezer. Such blanks are convenient to use, because you just need to defrost the beans, and they will be ready for use.

Store fresh beans in plastic containers with a tight lid. The storage area for grains should be dark and dry. A kitchen cabinet is perfect for this purpose. If the storage conditions are not followed, the product may become moldy or germinated. Bean sprouts, unlike other grains, are not eaten, but they can be used as planting material.

So, red beans are a very healthy product. Regular inclusion of beans in the menu helps to prevent the development of many diseases, lose weight and get an impressive dose of vitamins and minerals. The main thing is to properly prepare legumes and not use them if there are contraindications.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).