Beans are useful for treating disorders of the Immune System, the Heart and Circulatory System and the Urinary System.
Good for the heart (they lower cholesterol levels) and cancer-protective, beans also reduce blood pressure.
Their soluble fibre reduces cholesterol, and eating beans provides enough protein to let you cut down on meat consumption and so lower the amount of damaging saturated fats you eat. Beans are some of the most nutritious, satisfying, versatile, healthy, and with a little imagination, delicious, food money can buy.
Beans are a great source of the best sort of fibre, the soluble form - two tablespoons of cooked kidney beans give you four times as much as a slice of wholemeal bread. There are plenty of the essential minerals - calcium, iron, potassium, Magnesium - in beans, too. And they're all rich sources of the B vitamins, vital for a healthy nervous system.
Beans are an excellent source of calcium, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. Their high potassium and low sodium content means they’re ideal for high blood pressure and low sodium diets.
Nutrients
But what about the wind? There's no getting away from this slightly antisocial and embarrassing side effect. If you cook beans with salt the skins become tougher, less digestible and more available to gut bacteria which cause fermentation. Not putting a lid on the saucepan also helps keep the skins soft and digestible. Adding a couple of sprigs of the herb summer savory gets rid of most of the flatulence effect.