Beans are nutritionally prolific legumes. These are easily available in the market, and can be cooked easily. The wonderful thing about beans is that it comes in plentiful varieties, and can be served with almost anything. Beans can make a significant addition to the diets of people who are trying to shed some pounds. Don’t let easy availability confuse you about its nutritional proficiency. The nutrition profile of beans makes it an excellent candidate for low carbohydrate diets. Some popular low carbohydrate diets, like South Beach and Atkins, prescribe that people on diets stay away from beans until weight loss is achieved. But, you can make an exception and opt for beans, with appropriate discretion.
Beans And Fat Loss
There is lots of nutritional dissent about beans as a part of a low carbohydrate diet. Some popular diets are even against it. But, there are loads of scientific researches that have proven otherwise. According to an article published in the British Journal of Nutrition, a study was conducted over a period of 28 days with a group of overweight women with high cholesterol. These women received muffins made up of either whole pea flour, white wheat flour or fractionated pea flour. It was found that women who mostly ate muffins made of whole pea flour comparatively had a lower waist to hip ratios than others. These findings led the researchers to the conclusion that pea proteins have helped in eliminating fat from the waist region.
Another research was conducted with mice, in which two groups of mice were put on an unhealthy diet. One group was provided with chickpeas along with the diet, while the other group wasn’t. Researchers found that the former group of mice that consumed chickpeas managed to lose belly fat. Also, this group of mice had healthy blood sugar and insulin levels similar to the group of mice that was kept on a healthy diet.
Beans- A Nutritional Enigma
Beans provide an ample amount of proteins as well as fiber. Both of these nutrients have been invariably linked with weight loss and good health. One cup of beans like chickpeas, pinto beans or black beans, can provide about 15 grams of protein and fiber ranging between 12 to 15 grams. And, that’s not all. You can also get a good amount of B vitamins like thiamine and folate. Vitamin B can help your body in efficient energy release, and folate can help in the production of red blood cells. These beans are all splendid sources of vital minerals like potassium, manganese and magnesium.
Note that along with these beneficial nutrients, beans are also a rich source of carbohydrates. One cup of beans can provide about 30 grams of net carbohydrates. One way to cut down on the carbohydrates would be to consume less amount of beans.
Lunch With Beans
One way to add beans to your low carbohydrate diets is to add them in small quantities to fill nutritional gaps. Green leafy vegetables are low in carbohydrates. So, you can eat plenty of that in a salad with small amount of beans mixed with it. Additionally, you can add some lean proteins like salmon to your meal.
Beans For Dinner
Another way to add beans to your diet is by having them for dinner. You can have beans as a side dish to your low carbohydrate and protein rich dinner. You can have one cup of pinto beans with a generous amount of celery, bell peppers topped with some healthy olive oil and vinaigrette.
Munch On Beans
You can also snack on beans in your leisure time. Dip some celery sticks in a cup of healthy hummus made with mashed chickpeas, tahini and garlic. You can also munch on some cooked chickpeas roasted in olive oil and served with some lemon juice.
So, don’t shy away from adding beans to your low carbohydrate diets. Beans can add both flavors and nutrition to your meal.
