Bean health benefits and therapeutic value

Three beans sprouting in an open pod

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are native to Central America and South America and are among the oldest cultivated plants in the world.

They boast many health benefits. Beans are often grown in vegetable patches for their pods or their seeds.

Health benefits of beans

The true health benefits of beans are known to us since the end of the XIXth century. Kidney stones, bladder, urinary tract and kidney diseases: beans are the perfect diuretic food.

Easy to grow, beans can be eaten cooked, hot or cold, as a side dish, a salad or a soup. Available all year long, beans are some of the most consumed vegetables in the world.

On top of their delicious taste, beans are a type of vegetable that boasts many health benefits. With high fiber, vitamin B9, and selenium contents, they are ideal weight loss ingredients! String beans, yellow or purple, snap beans or buttered beans: however they’re prepared or whatever they look like, all beans share similar properties.

  • High fiber content lets beans protect against cardiovascular diseases, reduce colorectal cancer and regulate sugar levels since they slightly reduce glucose levels in the blood. They are highly recommended for diabetic persons.
  • Beans are recommended during child growth because they contain a lot of iron and folic acid (vitamin B9). Beans are also rich in silicium which is a key nutrient regarding bone growth.
  • Eaten either boiled or steamed, beans are a great source of magnesium and vitamin B2 for women, and iron for men. When eaten raw, it delivers high amounts of manganese, vitamin C and vitamin K and prevents damage done by free radicals, protects against infections, speeds wound-healing and helps blood clotting perform as needed.
  • Take note that eating string beans raw might lead to gastrointestinal discomfort, eventually leading to complications, because of the phaseolin that is otherwise destroyed during cooking.

Nutritional facts about beans

30 kcal / 3.5 oz (100 g). Beans contain twice as many proteins as most fresh vegetables do.

Growing beans for their health benefits

To thrive, beans require a lot of sun and heat. They must be planted in thick soil, deep, humus-rich and cool. Beans don’t like sandy soil.