Beans are nearly the perfect food. They have an amazing nutrition track record. You can’t say eating healthy is expensive when you’re talking beans because they are a bargain. If you haven’t already begun to add a variety of beans to your family’s diet, start introducing a few bean recipes. You’ll find that it is a great way to save money and eat healthfully.

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Why Add More Beans to Your Diet?

1. Beans are Frugal - Beans are inexpensive. A can of protein rich beans costs about 50-70 cents; to really save, for under a dollar you can get four or five cans out of one bag of dried beans. One bag of beans can feed about 8 people for under a dollar!
2. Beans are vitamin-rich-Beans provide B vitamins; folic acid, niacin, pyridoxine and thiamine. Beans promote healthy blood. Beans are a source of vitamin K, which controls normal blood clotting. Beans are a good source of thiamin, iron, folate and potassium.
3. Beans can hep you lose weight - Beans are low in polyunsaturated fat and are cholesterol-free. Beans take longer to digest and are filling so you eat less. They also reduce the amount of insulin released, so the body stores less fat. A recent study released under the National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey concluded that adults and children who regularly eat beans weigh approximately seven pounds less than those who do not.
4. Beans increase dietary fiber — eating beans can prevent or relieve constipation. Cup for cup, beans provide about twice as much fiber as most vegetables. Read Benefits of a high-fiber diet.
5. Beans can lower your risk of diabetes - a US-Chinese study links beans to a reduced risk of diabetes because they are rich in “resistant” starch: a type that stabilizes blood sugar levels.
6. Beans can lower your risk of heart disease - Beans lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Replace red meat with beans to lower your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and to serve as a source of folic acid (lentils, pinto beans).
7. Beans can lower your risk of cancer- Studies suggest a diet enriched in beans could help prevent cancer.

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How to Add More Beans to Your Diet

1. Main Dishes- bean chili, bean enchiladas, bean burgers, bean casseroles, bean burritos, beans and rice – the list can be endless. Get a good bean cookbook like Easy Beans or Magic Beans: 150 Delicious Recipes.
2. Side Dishes - Open a can and serve black, baked, navy, etc. to complement any meal. Allrecipes has more than 690 trusted bean side dish recipes complete with ratings, reviews and cooking instructions.
3. Add Beans to Salads- Beans are great in salad. Chick peas (garbanzo beans), kidney or black beans are super easy. Open the can, rinse them and add to a green salad. Or make a bean salad. Google “bean salad” for hundreds of options.
4. Add Beans to Soups- Add beans to canned or homemade soup. Use either drained canned, frozen or fresh beans.
5. Add Beans to Pasta- Toss with cooked pasta and canned pasta sauce with herbs; top with a sprinkle of Parmesan or Romano cheese.

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See our favorite Delicious Bean Soup recipe below

What’s your favorite way to serve beans?

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Posted by Robin on February 15th, 2008
Filed as: Health | Leave a Comment | Trackback