Humble, yet mighty, beans are nutritional powerhouses.

Some people won’t have anything to do with beans because they swear it makes them (eh hem) more gassy (more on that in a minute), but others wouldn’t do without these mighty little legumes.

It’s easy to see why when you take a look at the health benefits. Here’s a short list:

• High in fiber – to keep you full longer
• High in protein – a great vegetarian option
• Packed with important nutrients such as folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, plus polyphenols, known for their potent antioxidant properties
• Low in fat – unlike many other protein sources
• Low on the glycemic index – these complex carbs won’t cause blood sugar spikes to make you crazy or cranky
• Proven to aid in weight management, regulating diabetes and contributing to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
• Sustainable – swapping beans for beef could get us 75% of the way to our greenhouse gas reduction goals

Beans are also beneficial for heart health and eye site – and even for preventing PMS. Read about even more about the health benefits here. 

What about the gas?
Yes, some people do tend to pass gas when they eat beans. But usually your body will adjust after you add this food into your diet on a regular basis.

Why do we get gassy? Beans contain a sugar, called ​oligosaccharide, that the human body cannot break down fully in the small intestine. The by-product is gas. The good news is that your microbiome will adjust its own processing ability for beans as you add them into your diet slowly. ​So, if you’re a person that doesn’t do well with beans, start with an ounce every other day and then build up to more normal-sized servings.

Aside from the gas issue, beans can be hard on some people's stomachs. But it’s a small amount of the population who run into tummy trouble, so if it’s just worries about gastrointestinal distress keeping you away from this nutritional powerhouse, work up to it slowly. They’re worth it!

People in the strict Paleo diet camp often advise against eating beans because of the phytates and lectins they contain.

So what’s that about? Phytate is an antioxidant compound found in legumes (and also in almonds) can be be hard to digest because they inhibit an enzyme necessary for digestion. For a small few, lectins can also cause discomfort and harm the intestinal lining.

The answer to whether you should eat beans or not lies with your “gut instinct.” If you can eat them without trouble, go for it! You also may find that a little is great for your system, but not a lot. Give it a try and see how you adjust.

Getting the most from beans
If you like beans, or want to give them a try (please do!), follow these tips to get the most nutritional bang for your buck.

As you may remember from junior high health class, beans are an incomplete protein, meaning that they only have part of the amino acids needed by the human body. Fortunately, many complementary foods have the other amino acids required for a complete protein. If you’re eating a good variety of food throughout the day, you should be okay, even if you don’t eat those complementary foods in combination.

Or you can pair other foods with beans to create a complete protein, including rice and corn. And you can find tons of recipes online to create nourishing and protein-packed meals – from salads to soups.

When cooking dried beans, soak them overnight. It’s easy to cheat on this one if you own an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, but don’t skip this step as it can help reduce gas and generally aid in digestion. Eating veggies with your beans can also help reduce beans’ gassy effect.

It’s not just dried beans that are good for us; fresh ones are as well. Head to the farmers market and check out all the delicious varieties.

Then raise your fork to the mighty bean!

Photo by ​Paul Morris​ on ​Unsplash

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4608274/ https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/100/suppl_1/437S/4576589 https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-beans-cause-gas-1942947 https://paleoflourish.com/paleo-why-legumes-are-bad https://www.care2.com/greenliving/avoid-gas-from-beans.html https://medium.com/center-for-biological-diversity/the-power-of-beans-feb1b9442fbd