Today, we shall be looking at the health benefits of green beans. You may not know but green beans are actually nutritionally comparable generally, to other pod vegetables, like okra snap and peas.
They are usually harvested while the beans are yet in their pods, before they fully mature. They are also commonly known as snap beans and string beans in some places around the globe.
I’ll take time today to share with you the health benefits of this popular vegetable. I will show you the nutritional breakdown of green beans and an in-depth look at its health benefits.
Some Facts on Green Beans
Here are some key facts you need to know about this health nourishing vegetable.
- Right now there more than 130 species of green beans in the world today.
- China is the largest producer of green beans; they grow more than 10 million tons yearly. Not a surprise at all.
- Vitamins A, C, and K are the major sources of Green beans
- It is very important that you rinse and drain all canned beans so as to reduce sodium content.
The Nutritional breakdown of Green Beans
As reported by USDA National Nutrient Database, just a cup of green beans (100 grams) contains the following:
- 41 calories
- 0 grams of fat
- 8 grams of carbohydrate
- 4 grams of fiber
- 4 grams of sugar
- 2 grams of protein
It also contains Iron, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Foliate and Potassium.
The health benefits of taking green beans regularly are as follows:
Taking various fruits and vegetables is found to reduce the risks of many adverse health conditions.
Several scientific discoveries have suggested that increasing the intake of plant foods such as green beans greatly decreases the risks of diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality and also promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy level and overall it increases weight lose.
For Cancer Cases
This health stimulating vegetable contains a considerably high amount of chlorophyll, that may block the carcinogenic effects of heterocyclic amines produced when grilling meats at high temperature. People who seem to like their grilled foods charred should add green vegetables to it to keep them healthy.
For Fertility Cases
Women who have reached child-bearing age, taking more of iron from fresh plant sources like spinach, beans, pumpkin, and green beans is proved to promote healthy fertility. This was a scientific report by Harvard Medical School.
Other Harvard Health Studies have proved a correlation between a woman’s level of fertility and the level of nutrients (including iron) that she consumes. So as far as women’s fertility is concerned the consumption of iron foods is highly encouraged.
However, it is advised that you combine iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods like tomatoes, bell peppers, or berries so as to improve absorption of the iron into the body properly if not that on its own can cause another health problem.
For already pregnant women adequate folic acid consumption is highly needed to protect the infant baby against neural tube defects. Just a cup of green beans gives approximately 10 percent of the daily folic acid needed and 6 percent of iron needed.
For Depression Cases
For depression cases daily foliate consumption may also help greatly. When foliate is taken adequately it goes a long way to prevent the excess of homocysteine in the body, that prevents blood and other important nutrients from reaching the brain.
For Bone Health Cases
The low consumption of vitamin K is what is associated with the risk of bone fracture. Proper intake of vitamin K consumption will improve bone health because it acts as a modifier of the body’s bone matrix proteins. Which means it improves calcium absorption, and reduces urinary excretion of calcium. Just a cup of green beans will provides 14.4 mg of vitamin K (about 20 percent of the body’s daily need) and also 4 percent of calcium for the body’s bones’ health.
To enjoy the full health benefits of green beans find a way to add it to your daily meals.
