Beans - benefits, harm, properties, calorie content, nutritional value

Advantages and benefits of legumes

Why and how are they so good? Beans and legumes are not only rich in protein, which a person needs every day (and can be obtained not only from meat), but also in plant fiber, B vitamins, iron, folic acid, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc. Most legumes are also low in fat. Beans are nutritionally similar to meat, but with lower iron levels and no cholesterol. This makes them an excellent choice for vegans and vegetarians, as well as people who temporarily refuse animal foods - for example, during fasting, or to cleanse the body for the sake of health, according to medical prescriptions.

Flower type

The legume flower formula also contains additional information. Such structures are bisexual. This means that flowers have a pistil and stamens. They can be single - large with bright and wide petals.

Another characteristic feature is symmetry. According to this characteristic, legume flowers are irregular or zygomorphic. This means that a single vertical plane can be drawn through them.

In a number of cases, inflorescences form in representatives of this family. Sometimes the legume family, whose flower formula was given above, forms inflorescences. It can be a brush, a head or a whisk.

Composition and scientific research

As you know, fiber is excellent for digestion and normal intestinal function.
Just 1 cup of high-protein black beans provides 15 grams of fiber, which is about half the recommended daily amount. This same amount contains more than 20% of the daily value of folic acid, molybdenum, manganese, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and potassium. The calorie content of a serving ranges from 200 to 230 kcal, but guarantees a feeling of fullness for a much longer period than other dishes. Due to the protein content in legumes, they are low in calories, but filled with nutrients, satisfy hunger well and bring satiety even while on a diet. They are ideal for people with diabetes as they do not increase blood sugar levels. The body uses complex carbohydrates from legumes slowly over time, providing sustained nutrition to the muscles and nervous system. Increasing the portion of legumes in the diet will help reduce sugar, blood pressure, eliminate tachycardia, and will serve as a prevention of other heart diseases and diabetes.

According to various current studies, antioxidants in legumes may be useful in preventing oxidative cell damage and premature aging. Systematic consumption of fiber and nutrients of plant origin will benefit the digestive system and help prevent the development of various tumors in the gastrointestinal tract.

Legend

In botany there is such a thing as a flower formula. It represents the symbols of the parts of this generative organ. The numbers in this row indicate quantitative indicators of the elements of the generative organ.

They are deciphered as follows:

• C - calyx. It is a collection of sepals surrounding the receptacle.
• B - corolla. These are all flower petals.
• O - perianth. It consists of a calyx and corolla.
• T - number of stamens.
• P is the number of pistils.

How to cook and eat?

Legumes can be added to any dish, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Once cooked, they are eaten hot or cold, and some types of legumes are easy to eat raw. To make your meals tasty and healthy, add boiled or canned beans to dressings and sauces, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta and any other side dishes. Dried beans and lentils, which are so widely used in Asian countries, were specially studied by scientists from Japan and China. It turned out that the beneficial substances from these dry food products are not lost even after long-term storage. Some people are bothered by excessive gas formation when eating legumes. We just wrote an article about how to get rid of bloating. And, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences caused specifically by this food, always soak dried beans for several hours, and also add them to your diet systematically, but little by little. This will give the body the opportunity to get used to specific food and digest it correctly. Chew any solid food well, until it turns into “mush.” By combining beans with spices like ginger and curry, you can completely avoid flatulence. If you don't know how to cook delicious beans or where to start, use our simple recipe.

Bean dish recipe

The following ingredients will be required:

• 150 g red beans;
• half an onion;
• a pair of garlic cloves;
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of natural, unrefined vegetable oil;
• half a teaspoon of ground cumin and the same amount of salt;
• a quarter teaspoon of dried oregano.

It's simple:
Soak the beans in water for at least 5 hours if they are dried. If the beans are fresh, mash them thoroughly with a fork or puree them in a blender. Chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a suitable container over medium heat, add the onion and fry for 1 - 2 minutes. Next, mix the garlic and cumin, add to the onion and heat for 30 seconds. Add bean puree and a few tablespoons of water to the mixture (depending on how much juice was in them initially). When the beans boil, reduce the heat to low and add salt and oregano. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.

Summarize

Everything that belongs to legumes is not only rich in vital substances, but also helps:

1. Lower cholesterol;
2. Regulate glucose levels for patients with diabetes;
3. Prevent cancer;
4. Reduce blood pressure;
5. Improve colon function;
6. Treat constipation and other digestive problems.

Women who regularly consume beans are less likely to develop breast cancer compared to others. Some varieties, such as soybeans, are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds called saponins. However, it should be remembered that excessive heat treatment destroys some of the beneficial compounds. Certain people are allergic to various types of legumes. Therefore, before consuming prepared foods from supermarkets, you should carefully read all labels. In addition to legume products, we know drinks made from them, such as milk from plant products (soy, almond), their consumption also helps to obtain all the beneficial substances of legumes.

General characteristics of the family

Legumes or moth plants belong to the dicotyledonous class. Taxonomists count more than 20 thousand species of them in nature. Most of them are valuable food and feed crops. Of particular importance is the ability of some species to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Legumes are represented by all life forms: herbs, shrubs and trees. As a rule, the leaves are compound and alternately arranged on the stem. The legume flower is a systematic character.

Negative calorie foods for weight loss

Lunch should be the most satisfying meal of the day, but moderate in calories.
The category of “highest fat and high-calorie dishes” listed in the table includes fried pork cutlets, breaded chicken and fish, and fast food from McDonald’s. Calorie table for second courses

In fried meat, the fat content increases significantly.

Diet dish

If you correctly create a menu and count the calories of ready-made dishes, then you will be able to lose weight without starving.

Low calorie puree soup

Second course

Snacks

Dessert

Beverages

Negative calorie foods

There are negative calorie foods for weight loss. These are foods that the body expends more energy to digest than it receives from them.

If you want to lose weight, include the following negative calorie foods in your diet:

• Spinach - 21 kcal
• Red bell pepper – 26 kcal
• Apples - 44 kcal
• Lemon - 30 kcal
• Lettuce leaves - 15 kcal
• Rhubarb – 16 kcal
• Radish - 20 kcal
• Sea kale - 5 kcal
• Tomatoes - 15 kcal
• Grapefruit - 33 kcal
• Eggplants – 25 kcal
• Carrots - 31 kcal
• Cucumbers - 10 kcal

Ready meal with negative calories

To prepare dishes with negative calories, you do not need to add sour cream, sauces and dressings.

Chicken with kiwi and vegetables

Salmon with citrus fruits

Vegetable soup

Vegetable puree soup

If you lose weight by counting calories, then you will be able to lose 10 to 15 kilograms in a short period of time. At the same time, your health condition will not worsen, there will be a surge of strength and vigor.

Table of calorie content of food and ready-made meals for weight loss per 100 g

What you need to know about calories and how to determine the optimal daily amount of calories and BJU.

The terms calorie content or energy value are increasingly found in conversations, in the press, on the Internet and on TV. We are talking about the amount of energy received daily from food due to the intracellular oxidation of useful elements. It is spent on maintaining the vital functions of the body: cell division and growth, activity, and is partially excreted or stored in the tissues of the body. At the same time, the table of calorie content of finished products becomes the main assistant in matters of correcting the figure (cutting, losing weight, gaining weight, and so on). There are two units of measurement of heat energy: kcal (kilocalories) or kJ (kilojoules), which are always prescribed per 100 grams.

It is worth noting a number of nuances when working with complete tables of calorie content of foods and ready meals:

• The energy value of cereals, flour, coffee, potatoes and everything that requires cooking is prescribed per 100 grams of the original “raw materials”.
• The calorie content of ready-made dishes differs from the original “material” and is adjusted by additional ingredients, processing and storage methods. It is calculated using special calculators or based on tables.

In addition to calories in dishes and products, it is customary to consider the nutritional value in the context of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

https://youtu.be/d5XmMGWpkkw

Fruits and seeds

The fruit of this family is called a bean. It develops from the carpel. The bean is a dry polyspermous plant. After ripening, it opens along the seam between the two valves. They contain seeds. Unlike a pod, there is no vertical partition inside the bean.

Bean seeds have been used as food for a long time. Peas and beans contain large amounts of protein, while soybeans and peanuts contain vegetable oils. Clover and alfalfa are irreplaceable forage crops due to their high nutritional value. These plants are also of great importance as honey plants. White and yellow acacia, black locust, caragana, and mimosa are well-known ornamental species.

Cooking recipes

Among the most popular cooking methods are: steaming, casseroles, soups, vegetable salads, stewing in oil, stews and others.

In addition, flour is prepared from legumes, which is added when baking baked goods to increase their benefits and nutritional value.

Beans for weight loss

Beans are a nutritious, low-calorie food that is ideal for weight loss.

Beans contain a minimum of vegetable fat and carbohydrates, but a lot of fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the body of a person losing weight.

Adding different types of legume products from the list to your food will allow you to quickly satisfy your hunger, a feeling of comfort and satiety for a long time, which significantly reduces the amount of food consumed.

Beans speed up metabolism, which allows you to digest food and break down fats faster.

List of legume products:

• beans,
• peas,
• chickpeas,
• lentils,
• peanut,
• soybean,
• lupine,
• tamarind.

Vegetarian salsa

A popular dietary and vegetarian dish with beans is vegetarian salsa - a cold Mexican soup made from several types of beans, cilantro, corn, red peppers, onions and tomatoes with spices.

Ingredients:

• corn grains - 1 cup,
• red bell pepper – 1 pc.,
• canned beans – 100 g,
• green peas – 80 g,
• onion – 1 pc.,
• green onion – 2 pods,
• green pepper – 1 pc.,
• tomato – 4 pcs.,
• tomato juice - half a glass,
• cilantro – 15 g,
• chili powder – 10 g.

The traditional recipe involves the following preparation steps:

1. Pour boiled water over the tomatoes, peel them and chop them.
2. Chop a few green onions and cilantro.
3. Place the pan on the fire, add olive oil and all ingredients.
4. Fry vegetables in oil, sprinkle hot pepper powder on top, add water and cook for 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat, add beans, green peas, and add tomato juice.
6. Transfer contents to a tureen and serve cold.

Refried beans

Fried beans are considered a delicious dish and a dietary food category. You can prepare this dish using various legume products from the list, but beans are the best.

The following ingredients will be required:

• dried beans – 150 g,
• soda – 1 tsp,
• sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.,
• sea ​​salt – 1 tsp.

Preparation includes the following steps:

1. The beans must be soaked in cold water for 16 hours, add 1 tsp. soda
2. Remove the beans from the water, dry them, and cut them on the sides.
3. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil, add the fruits, fry until golden brown.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt and place on a plate.
5. Serve with fresh herbs.

Lentil sweets

In addition to traditional dietary dishes, you can also prepare unusual treats – sweets – from beans.

To prepare low-calorie and healthy sweets, any type from the list of legume products is used, but most often lentils, nuts and dried fruits are used as the basis.

For cooking you will need:

• red lentils – 140 g,
• dates – 10 pcs.,
• dried apricots – 80 g,
• raisins – 50 g,
• chopped walnuts – 110 g,
• cocoa powder – 4 tbsp. l.,
• sugar powder – 40 g.

Recipe for making delicious dietary lentil sweets:

1. Boil a glass of red lentils and let cool.
2. Take 100 g of dried apricots, 10 dates, 50 g of raisins and walnuts, add everything to a blender and grind.
3. Add lentils to the blender and grind again.
4. Add 1 tbsp to the resulting mixture. l. cocoa and powdered sugar and mix.
5. Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
6. Form balls of equal size and roll in powdered sugar.

Bean products in cooking

Beans, peas, lentils and other legumes are used to make soups, make purees and other side dishes, and add them to salads, cereals, sauces and cutlets. In the Caucasus, amazing lobio is prepared from beans, in India they cook pea dal with spices and “belyashi” kachoris with mung beans, Ukrainians bake delicious pies with beans, in the Middle Eastern countries they make delicious hummus, and in Rus' they made stew, jelly and cheese from peas. It's hard to resist cabbage rolls with chickpeas, lentil meatballs, beans and potatoes in a pot, Uzbek pea pilaf and Indian pea-rice khichri with vegetables and chili. In the East, original desserts are prepared from legumes - chickpea pancakes with sweet sauce, chickpea balls with dried fruits, sweets made from chickpea flour, sugar and nuts. To prevent gas formation, it is advisable to soak the beans overnight before cooking and then drain the water.

Soy, beloved by vegetarians and athletes, has become part of the health food industry - milk is made from soybeans, Korean asparagus is made from soy milk foam (yubu), and soybean curd, tofu cheese and okara are made from milk, from which you can make cutlets and meatballs. Tofu is added to salads and soups, fried, boiled, baked, stewed, stuffed, and even unusual desserts are created based on it - cream, parfaits, cheesecakes, muffins, soy ice cream. Fermented soybeans are used to make miso salad dressing, which is also used for soups. Popular soy products include boiled and smoked sausage, goulash, schnitzel, beef stroganoff, cutlets, sausages and sausages. Soy sauce and butter, soy cream powder, soy mayonnaise, yogurt, kefir and cocktails have already become familiar.

The use of legume products in cooking is limited only by your imagination, since some sophisticated gourmets even manage to prepare pea candies and soy condensed milk. The most important thing is not to eat legumes raw (except for green peas and green beans), and in dream books on this occasion it is written that eating raw beans in a dream means illness. Experiment with legumes and stay healthy!