Red Beans One of the Most Nutritious Vegetables

Ever wondered which food item has the most antioxidants?

The vegetable that has over 13,000 units of antioxidants according to Dr. Oz?

You can find several beans in the market.  But it is the red beans that are common to everyone.  Red beans, or Asians would call it Adzuki beans, are kidney-shaped beans that are covered with naturally red shell.  These beans are basic ingredients to Central and South American dishes.  Native Americans do not go with any of their meals without red beans.  In fact, even in Asian countries, red beans are seen in most Chinese and Japanese dishes.   Among all other types of beans, it is the red beans that are considered to be the most nutritious.

Nutrients on Red Beans

Red beans are fibrous.  This soluble fiber fights the risks of having high cholesterol in the body.  Aside from being fibrous, they are packed with magnesium, iron, potassium and vitamin B3.  All these nutrients help lower the blood pressure level.  A person who loves to eat red beans is far from getting harmful effects of high blood pressure.  Red beans are also good to persons who are on diet.  They are low in fat and are easy to digest.  Dietitians recommend pairing it with grains since they go hand in hand in providing proteins to the body instead of eating animal meat, where it is high in fat contents.  These types of beans inhibit the development of cancer cells.

Red beans are also high in antioxidant rating in all other foods.  The United States Department of Agriculture found out that such type of beans is topping the list of foods that have high level of antioxidants.  These antioxidants give protection to your cells from the harmful effects of free radicals.  Thus, these kidney-shaped vegetables can protect you from the risk of cancer and heart illnesses.

There are so many health benefits from red beans.  These vegetables can even cure kidney, bladder and reproductive healthy issues because of their components.  They can improve the development of kidneys, which can eventually combat any urinary and bladder infections.  They may seem to be very small but they can actually do wonders to the human body if people include them in their daily food intake.

Even women can be saved from the risks of breast cancer by eating red beans.  The components found inside the vegetables can lessen the estrogen level in the body system.  This level will show the presence of cancer cells in the body which can eventually advance to the highest form of cancer.  Researches show that the often you eat red beans, the farther you are from getting health complications.  It is believed that this is the most nutritious vegetables in these times.

Who Should Eat Red Beans

People who are diabetic are recommended to eat red beans.  Since they are rich in fiber, they can prevent the blood sugar levels to shoot up after every meal.  Those with high blood pressure are also advised to include red beans in their diet.  They have very low fat contents and can lessen the risks of getting cholesterol in the body system.  And for those body conscious individuals, red beans are perfect in their everyday diet.  They are great substitutes of animal meat that have high fat components.

Only few people learn to appreciate eating red beans.  For them they are just small kidney-shaped food mixed with other vegetables and seasoning.  Once they are cooked they are put on top of the rice.  Regardless of the age, people should be aware of the nutrition facts about red beans.  There are so many of them.  You can not even imagine how a tiny vegetable can have several nutrients in them.

Food Recipes for Red Beans

Beans, particularly the red ones, are best paired with rice.  They can also be best in stews.  Just make sure that they are cooked properly because, either they are undercooked or overcooked, they taste bad.  You will know if they are well cooked through its tenderness.  If they easily fall apart, you might have overcooked them.

Here’s one of the famous recipes for Red Beans:

Easy Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 15-ounce canned red kidney beans
  • 3 pieces sliced bacon
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup of chopped celery
  • ½ pound sliced Polish sausage
  • A pinch of chili powder
  • 1 pc. Bell pepper finely chopped
  • An 8-ounce can of tomato paste
  • A jar of finely chopped pimiento
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
  • Ketchup
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Preparation:

  • Mix the bacon, onion, celery, bell pepper and parsley all together.
  • Then put the chopped Polish sausage together with the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Add the chopped pimiento.
  • Mix all of them with the rice and red kidney beans.  Top it with a pinch of chili powder and tomato paste.

Beans have several types.  All of them have their distinct components of vitamins and minerals.  But it is only the red beans that are considered to have the most number of nutrients.  Thus, health experts highly recommend including red beans in your daily food intake.