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Red bean is one of the oldest cultivated plants, its homeland is considered to be South America. However, it is known for certain that beans were grown in ancient Rome and Egypt. Moreover, in Chinese chronicles dated 2800 BC, beans are mentioned. Moreover, the product was used not only for food, but also for cosmetic purposes. So, the famous mask of Cleopatra consisted, among other things, of beans. The “conquest” of European beans began in the 16th century. It was brought to Russia from France. At first, beans were valued solely for their decorative qualities, and they were planted in gardens. Only after two centuries did the product begin to be eaten, the beans have not lost their relevance at this point in time.
Red beans have many useful qualities and are an indispensable food product. It keeps well and does not spoil for a long time. The main advantage of beans is their high nutritional value, which exceeds the nutritional value of many foods of animal origin.
Useful properties of red beans
The health benefits of red beans are a proven fact. The product is a valuable source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D. There are also many micro and macro elements in beans, including: zinc, copper, sulfur, iron, potassium, arginine, magnesium, calcium, tyrosine, carotene.
Despite the high nutritional value of red beans, it is a dietary food product, and it also contains a lot of vegetable fiber. The protein contained in the beans puts it almost on a par with fish and meat.
Red beans are a real storehouse of amino acids, it contains:
Tryptophan, which has a sedative effect on the body, helps fight depression, normalizes sleep, relieves tension and generally has a positive effect on the nervous system.
Arginine, which protects the female reproductive system. And arginine is part of collagen, which is responsible for the youthfulness of the skin.
Lysine, which prevents the penetration of viruses into the body, helps in the fight against intestinal infections, with the herpes virus. Lysine prevents the development of cancer.
Tyrosine contributes to the normalization of the work of the endocrine glands, does not allow you to gain excess weight, acts as a powerful antidepressant, improves the functioning of the adrenal glands, and reduces the severity of allergic reactions. Tyrosine is an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals.
Histidine is an assistant in the fight against anemia, as it is part of hemoglobin. Also, this amino acid supports the functioning of the auditory nerve, absorbs ultraviolet rays, and normalizes the functioning of the joints.
Regular consumption of red beans in food will allow you to fully experience its health benefits, namely:
The product allows you to normalize digestion, as it contains dietary fiber. Especially a lot of them in the skin of legumes. Beans should definitely be included in the menu for people suffering from constipation.
Thanks to red beans, you can maintain a normal level of acidity in the body. This allows you to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria, get rid of flatulence and excess weight.
The product is a valuable source of energy. This is possible due to the fact that red beans contain soluble fiber, which, after entering the human gastrointestinal tract, mixes with liquid and forms a gel-like substance. Bacteria living in the intestines process this fiber and create short-chain fatty acids from it. They are essential for the body to produce energy. Therefore, beans should be consumed by people engaged in hard physical labor, athletes, debilitated patients during the recovery period.
Beans contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis, regulate cholesterol levels, because there is practically no fat in it.
Thanks to red beans, blood pressure can be normalized. It contains three essential minerals – calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are responsible for the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
Eating the product in food helps prevent muscle spasms, reduce their severity.
Folic acid, which is very abundant in red beans, protects the cardiovascular system, reduces the level of homocysteine in the blood (this substance contributes to the development of heart and vascular diseases), participates in the process of hematopoiesis
It is known that folic acid is the most important element, without which the normal formation of the neural tube of the fetus is impossible. Therefore, if there are no contraindications, beans must be included in the menu of pregnant women.
The iron contained in red beans prevents the development of anemia, is responsible for the normal supply of oxygen to all tissues and organs.
Thanks to beans, you can cleanse the body of toxic substances, heavy metals.
Beans are a valuable product for diabetics, as they help normalize blood glucose levels.
Regular consumption of the product in food can improve the condition of the skin and hair.
Beans are included in the diet of people suffering from diseases of the urinary system. The product has a diuretic effect.
Separately, it is worth noting the possibility of eating red beans for weight loss. Almost all nutritionists recommend including it in the menu for their patients. Vegetable protein from beans is easily digestible, so dishes with it can be eaten even for dinner.
It is good to eat beans for breakfast during weight loss, or use it as a side dish at lunchtime. After such a dish, the feeling of satiety remains for a long time, due to the fact that blood sugar will not rise sharply.
Nutritional value of red beans
The calorie content of red beans per 100 g of the product is 93 kcal. The nutritional value:
Proteins – 8,4
Fat – 0,3 g.
Carbohydrates – 13,7
What goes with red beans
Many different dishes can be prepared from red beans.
This variety of legumes goes well with foods such as:
Vegetables: carrots, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet peppers, beets and garlic.
Nuts: walnuts and almonds.
Herbs: parsley, oregano, basil, cilantro and rosemary.
Mushrooms.
Dairy.
Eggs.
All young cheeses.
You can use any vegetable oil, tomato sauce or lemon juice as a dressing for beans.
Combinations of red beans with other products can be very diverse. For lovers of spicy food, you can use the recipes of Mexican cuisine, in which not a single hot dish is complete without the addition of beans. She is a frequent “guest” in traditional Georgian, Armenian, Turkish and Hindu cuisine. The taste of red beans is simply excellent, so it is not surprising that they are widely used around the world.
Harm of red beans and contraindications to its use
It would seem that such a wonderful product cannot harm the human body. In fact, this will not happen if red beans are cooked correctly. The fact is that a raw product, when eaten, can cause poisoning of the body. Beans that have not been heat-treated contain the toxic substance phenazine. Therefore, it is so important to boil or stew the beans for at least 45 minutes. During the cooking process, the poison is destroyed, and the product becomes absolutely harmless.
It is worth paying attention to the amount of beans consumed, as they contain a substance called hemagglutinin. With its excessive ingestion, the development of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and the appearance of abdominal pain is possible.
Red beans are contraindicated for eating in the presence of the following diseases:
Gastritis.
Colitis.
Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
Cholecystitis.
With caution, you need to use the product in food for people of advanced age. This is due to the fact that their enzymatic ability is reduced, which can cause certain difficulties in digesting beans. You should not get too carried away with red beans for women who are expecting a baby, but pregnant women can use beans in moderation. It is also necessary to carefully offer beans to children under 12 years of age. Precaution is due to the incomplete formation of the mucous membranes of the digestive organs in terms of the breakdown of coarse fiber.
Thus, we can conclude that red beans are a healthy product that combines many vitamins and microelements. However, it must be properly prepared and not consumed in large quantities. It is also worth remembering the existing contraindications.
How to cook and store red beans?
To make cooked red beans tasty and healthy, you need to soak them before starting the heat treatment. To do this, use ordinary cool water.
Beans are kept in water for the following reasons:
Thanks to soaking, it is possible to get rid of that part of the toxic substances that are present in the peel of legumes.
The beans will absorb water and increase in size.
Cooking time can be reduced.
Starch will be washed off the surface of the beans.
Soaked beans do not boil.
Together with toxic substances, oligosaccharides will be partially removed from the beans. As a result, the use of the finished product will not provoke flatulence.
You can cook beans in a saucepan, in a frying pan, in a roaster. The soaking time of the grains is about 6 hours. For one cup of raw beans, you need three cups of clean water. You can change the water during the soaking process, although this is not a prerequisite. Nothing will happen if the grains are left soaked overnight.
Before cooking, the beans must be washed with running water. You can use a colander for convenience.
During the heat treatment of the grains, it is not recommended to interfere so as not to violate their integrity. You can avoid burning them in a simple way: you need to add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan.
The average cooking time for red beans is 1,5-2 hours. Before you turn off the gas, you need to try the grains. If they are hard, then the cooking time of the beans must be increased.
It is recommended to salt the beans at the very end of cooking. It is believed that salt increases the cooking time of the product.
You can cook red beans without pre-soaking in water. But at the same time, the cooking time will be significantly increased. So, it can reach 3,5 hours or more. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the water level in the pot, as dry red beans will absorb more liquid than those that have been soaked. If the water boils away, then it needs to be added. Boiling water should be added, not cold water, since even the thick skin of red beans may not withstand such temperature changes and burst.
Since the cooking time for beans is several hours, it is very convenient to cook a large number of beans at once. They can be stored by packing in small portions in plastic bags and putting them in the freezer. It is convenient to use such blanks, because you just need to defrost the beans, and they will be ready for use.
Fresh beans should be stored in plastic containers with tight lids. The place for storing grains should be dark and dry. A kitchen cabinet is perfect for this purpose. If the storage conditions are not observed, the product may become moldy or germinate. Bean sprouts, unlike other grains, are not eaten, but they can be used as planting material.
So, red beans are a very healthy product. Regular inclusion of beans in the menu helps prevent the development of many diseases, get rid of excess weight and get an impressive dose of vitamins and minerals. The main thing is to cook legumes correctly and not to use them if there are contraindications.