Beans, beans, the magical fruit

I grew up in California where Mexican food is delicious and plentiful. In fact, my first job was at Taco Bell, where I learned to wrap a bean burrito like a pro. That skill has stayed with me through the years, and so has my love for beans. 

Beans, the object of countless flatulence jokes, are often dismissed as peasant food. For your heart and circulatory system, though, they are food fit for royalty. Eating beans regularly can lower cholesterol, influence blood sugar, and lower the risk of having a heart attack. A study reported in the June 2007 Journal of the American College of Nutrition showed that eating one-half cup of cooked pinto beans a day for eight weeks lowered total cholesterol by almost 10% in a small group of Mesa, Ariz., residents. An earlier study from Costa Rica found that people who ate a serving of beans a day, usually black beans, were nearly 40% less likely to have had heart attacks as those who rarely ate beans.

Chock-full of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and slowly digested carbohydrates, beans are an excellent — and versatile — food. They make an outstanding alternative to red meat as a main course. They work well in soups and stews. You can use them as a side dish, or mash them with some garlic and oil for a flavorful and healthy dip or spread.

If post-bean flatulence is a problem, there are things you can do to help prevent it. Beans contain a trio of larger sugars — raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose — that manage to arrive in our colons relatively unscathed because we lack the enzymes to digest them. The reprieve doesn’t last long, though. Bacterial residents of the colon feed on these sugars, producing gas as a by-product. Beans won’t produce as much gas if you boil them briefly, let them sit for an hour in the water, and then cook them again in a fresh pot of water. Just cooking them longer may also do the trick.

Do you include beans in your diet? What are some of your favorite ways to cook them?

Julie K. Silver, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Chief Editor of Books for Harvard Health Publications.

Research shows that more than 80% of heart disease can be prevented by certain lifestyle choices, including eating a healthy diet. From Harvard Medical School, Healthy Eating for a Healthy Heart lays out practical eating guidelines based on the best science available. This special report will help you understand basics of a healthful (and tasty) diet, and also contains 40 heart-healthy, original recipes to help put you on the road to better eating.

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