BEANS FOR A HEALTHY DIET

Beans are good for us says Susan Young, and explains why in this extract from her recently published book, Growing Beans: A Diet for Healthy People and Planet

- Susan Young

If we are to ensure a secure, healthy food supply for a growing world population then diets must change dramatically to increase the consumption of foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and of course pulses. Here in Britain, and elsewhere in the world, poor diet leads to a range of health problems that create avoidable costs to our healthcare systems and is a leading cause of premature death. The necessary changes in diet mean there will have to be a considerable reduction in less healthy foods such as added sugars and red meat.

All beans are a good source of protein compared with other plant-based products and a helping of beans will substitute for the meat and dairy intake that we should be reducing. Only 25-40% of beans (depending on the variety) is protein, the rest is mostly carbohydrate. However, the carbohydrate content includes soluble and insoluble fibre and these starchy carbohydrates are much better for us than sugary carbohydrates. What’s more the fibre promotes digestive health, speeding up the passage of food through our systems, helping to remove toxins and assisting with regularity. Beans are low in fat and what fat they do contain is made up of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS