Beans are part of the legume family, which includes peas, beans, soybeans/ edamame, peanuts, lentils, and more!

Why would you explore ways to eat beans when you don’t like beans?  

Because regular consumption of beans/ lentils supports:

• Improvements in diabetes and cardiovascular disease outcomes
• Improvements gut health with improved gut biodiversity
• Reduced risk of weight gain/ protection against obesity
• Improvements in systemic inflammation (Mullins & Arjmandi, 2021).

In fact, having one cup of beans per day led to the following health improvements in a study on diabetics:

• Lower A1c
• Lower resting HR and blood pressure
• Lower total cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lower body weight and waist circumference (Mullins & Arjmandi, 2021).

Beans are also a comparable replacement for meat related to comparable levels of protein, zinc, and iron (Mullins & Arjmandi, 2021).  As a person shifts more plant-based to take advantage of the many health benefits that come from eating more plants and less animal protein, beans become a very important source of protein in the diet.

Nutrition powerhouse:  protein and fiber, zinc and iron!!

1 cup of beans has 11-15 grams of fiber and 12-18 grams of protein!!!

While beans do NOT have b12, they do have a high amount of protein, fiber, and antioxidants (meat/ animal products have zero fiber and very low levels of antioxidants but do have b12).  

Lowering overall meat consumption and replacing animal proteins with plant proteins is linked to lower risk of obesity and other chronic diseases (Mullins & Arjmandi, 2021).

Many people believe they do not like beans.  However, there are creative ways to increase bean intake, and take advantage of all the anti-obesity, disease busting effects of beans.

Ideas for increasing your bean consumption

• • Soups: minestrone soup, split pea soup, chili (tastes great without meat!), white bean soup, lentil soup, or throw them into any soup!!
  • Salads: beans blend nicely into salads (black beans, lentils, and chickpeas are particularly good with salads…take canned beans, rinse them, store in a container in the fridge, and add up to ½ cup per serving of salad).
  • Hummus: (low oil, low fat varieties best) hummus can be used in creative and delicious ways…
    • Add to burritos, fajitas
    • Heat in oven on top of whole grain pita x 7 min at 350, great with black olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and other veggies
    • Use as a dip for whole wheat pretzels, Triscuits, veggies, whole grain pita, etc
  • Dips: beans blend nicely with herbs and spices to make veggie and pita dips, recipe ideas are here!
  • Veggie Burgers: chickpeas, black beans, and others can be used to make veggie burger patties. A great recipe is  here!  Store bought brands are options as well.
  • Burritos & fajitas: black beans or pinto beans + sauteed peppers and onions, lettuce, tomato,corn, brown rice, salsa, avocado all taste great in whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas
  • Brown rice and beans:  this is a classic combo…mix in onions, sauteed peppers, broccoli, veggies of choice, salsa, avocado, can’t go wrong!!
  • Brown rice/ Farrow/ Aromath/ Toasted Barley Bowls: take grain of choice in a bowl, add beans, greens, avocado, tomatoes, or any other combo that works for you!
  • Tacos:  black beans make a great substitute for meat, OR, mix in with the meat if you must have the meat, and be generous with the veggies!
  • Falafel: this Mediterranean favorite uses chickpeas with fresh herbs and spices blended together with the texture of a meat ball and a warm savory taste!!  You may have never tried it before, its surprisingly delicious!!  Recipe here!
  • Brownies: yes…brownies…no you won’t taste them.  They form a moist binding base for the brownie, let the cocoa, maple syrup, whole grain baking flour carry the flavor! A great recipe is here!!
  • Smoothies or blend in with your protein shake!!:  you won’t taste beans mixed into a smoothie or protein shake!!  Canned, rinsed beans are an easy add-in to smoothies.  If you are skeptical, start small, add 1 small spoonful.  You won’t notice them.  Build up to half a cup!  White beans, black beans, chick peas, these all go just fine in a smoothie!  Instant protein, fiber, iron, and zinc boost!

Wrap up

With so many delicious ways to consume beans, in many cases completely eliminating the texture (such as in smoothies, protein shakes, and hummus), there are plenty of options to boost your protein and fiber intake with beans!!

Written by Donovan Carper MSN RN CPT CHC

References

Mullins, A. P., & Arjmandi, B. H. (2021). Health Benefits of Plant-Based Nutrition: Focus on Beans in Cardiometabolic Diseases. Nutrients, 13(2), 519. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020519

PCRM.org.  (2020). 12 ways to cook beans. Retrieved from https://www.pcrm.org/news/blog/12-ways-cook-beans