Beans

Beans hold a mark in the history because it is one of the longest grown plants. It is collected by Afghanistan and Himalayan in their feral condition having kernel with the same size as the small fingernail. Beans initiated its domestication in Thailand as early as seventh millennium BC. Not until the second millennium BC did cultivated, large-seeded broad bean appear in the Aegean, Iberia and transalpine Europe.

Beans are considerably an alternative foundation of protein throughout Old and New World history, and still are today. Around 4,000 known cultivars of beans are recorded in the United States.

What differentiates beans from other plant life? Beans have shells with seeds inside them. Aside from beans this comprises peas, lentils and some people even include the peanut in this category. Legumes are able to take huge quantities of nitrogen from the air and transform it to protein in the seeds. They also restore huge quantities of nitrogen to the ground and because of this the green plants are sometimes plowed under as an organic fertilizer.

Right along with the early grains, legumes were among the initial crops nurtured back to the Bronze Age. Beans have been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs and Aztecs. The early Egyptians thought beans to be a symbol of life and had temples devoted to them. Later, the Greeks and Romans used them in celebrations to adore their gods. The Roman's four most eminent households were named after beans; Fabius (fava bean), Lentulus (lentil), Piso (pea), and Cicero (chickpea). Early explorers learned that Indians spotted all over the Americas cultivated and ate several types of beans. And from the very start, beans were carried back and forth, traded and planted as explorers and wanderers wondered the earth. In the Middle Ages beans were among the primary foods of the peasants of Europe. And in more recent times because of their excellent storage ability, beans were a primary food for sailors which is precisely how the Navy bean got its name. Beans have fed the armies of the world from ancient times to the wars of recent history. From the Great Depression right up to the present, beans have been known for their superior nutritional content. At a little fragment of the price of meat protein, one cup of cooked beans provides 25% of the daily necessity for the amino acids.


NUTRITION
During the lean years of the Great Depression, beans were also tagged "poor man's meat" because of their protein power at pennies per pound. Beans are a source of Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, B6 vitamins and many other nutrients as well. They are also rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. All of these nutrients are necessary for normal growth and for the building of body tissues. Beans are high in potassium which is required for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles. A cup of cooked beans contains more potassium than a banana. In fact, beans have more calcium and iron per cup than three ounces of cooked meat but contain no cholesterol and with less calories.

Beans are the best source of folate and are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins. High in fiber they have good cancer fighting characteristics and have been specifically linked to lower the risk of colon cancer.

Recent research has brought to light that beans have 'anti-aging' agents or antioxidants found in the seed coat. There are eight flavonoids in the outer bean layer, six of which are particularly strong antioxidants. Because of new research, we are learning that beans have a perfect nutrient base for people interested in weight loss. They also aid in reducing cholesterol, improve digestion and, as already mentioned, are an aid in cancer prevention.

Beans are grown throughout the world. The legumes we supply come from the United States and are grown throughout the country on 1,700,000 acres of land producing from 1 to 1.4 million metric tons annually, half of which are exported all over the world. From improved agricultural practices, we feel beans grown right here at home in the USA have the highest quality of any bean grown anywhere.

Beans have somewhat of an awful standing because of their gas producing properties. However, there are various things you can do to reduce or eliminate this. The simplest thing you can do is pick a bean that is not as gas producing as the others. Gas is produced when the intestinal tract doesn't adequately digest beans.

The most likely reason for this is caused by a lack of enzymes required to digest this food. As your body gets used to eating beans, the required enzymes are presented and this trouble vanishes. There's also a method of presenting these enzymes through a product called Beano. Beano has alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme that supports digest the compound sugars that beans contain. They also work on broccoli, cabbage and other gas producing foods. There are a team of herbs that also lessens or remove the gas from beans. A couple of '00 gel caps' stuffed with nutmeg will also do the trick and that peppermint, spearmint, marjoram, anise, basil, caraway, carrots, dill, ginger, onions orange juice, parsley, savory, thyme and ginger are also reported to have gas reduction properties to one extent or another as well. Drinking orange juices with bean meals for years brings good results. That old wives tale of throwing a carrot in with the beans as they cook then throw it out is also founded on successful experience.

Water used for soaking must be thrown away before cooking them and also fruits shouldn't be taken at the same meal.


BEANS HEALTH BENEFITS
According to some studies, beans are good for the human heart but is in fact offering more than that. Beans produce more fiber that as it drives towards the digestive tract it grasp and catch bile having cholesterol, extracting it from the body prior to absorption. Taking a cup of cooked beans a day can reduce the total body cholesterol for 10% in a time frame of six weeks which lessens the hazard of heart ailments by 20% according to Patti Bazel Weil R.D. a diabetes nutrition educator.

A clinical study taken at the Universiry of Kentucky has presented that for three weeks of raising bean consumption reduced the men’s cholesterol at a rate of 19%. This findings concludes that it decreases the hazard of heart attack by around 40%. And due to its superior fiber content, it can restrain human appetite for fattier and more unsafe foodstuff.

People suffering from diabetes are having advantage in bean consumptions because the soluble fiber supports in producing additional insulin receptor spots. These spots are similar to miniature docks for the insulin molecules to attach to, permitting the insulin to get to the cells which requires it, instead of floating liberally through the bloodstream, which can cause problems. Thus, in reducing the hazard of heart ailments in those having diabetes, bean consumption is a must for it helps keep cholesterol low.

Addition to these advantages, the element seen in beans-isoflavins lagnins phytic acid sapopin and protease inhibitors- have been presented to maintain normal cells from becoming cancerous and reduce their development. Soybean has phytoestrogens, a fragile form of the estrogen produced in human bodies naturally. Phytoestrogens are believed to decrease the hazard of breast and prostate cancer, by obstructing overactivity of estrogen and testosterone which can encourage cancerous tumor development. Overall studies have shown Hispanic women have half the risk of breast cancer as white women. This disparity is believed to be due to the high content of beans in their diet.

32%DV of folate, 9%DV of potassium among the various daily dietary requirements can be found in beans which are also high in protein and fiber but less fat. The same benefits can be acquired on dried or canned beans, just make sure to rinse it well because canned beans are high in sodium preservatives.