Some years ago I attended a nutrition meeting in Boston and was reminded of that town’s nickname, “Bean Town.” So, of course I wondered why Boston is called Bean Town and found this interesting history. It’s because in colonial days, a favorite food there was beans baked for hours in molasses. But don’t worry; I have a recipe for you that does not include that much sugar!
When we refer to beans as a group of foods, we mean legumes. These are a very large family of plants that produce large seeds in pods. My own personal experience with beans starts with a family garden and watching the first green shoots come out of the ground in the spring, then being over-run by countless vines bearing green beans in the summer. It also includes memories of my grandmother, who lived next door to me in childhood, growing peanuts in her large Georgia garden. Peanuts are legumes also, but these “beans” grow underground.
I personally find black beans one of the most interesting legumes to eat because of a nice combination of flavor and firm texture. Black beans (also sometimes called turtle beans) probably were first cultivated as human food more than 7,000 years ago in Central America, and they have spread worldwide. Their popularity in the United States is another positive result of increased Latin American immigration.
At the risk of detracting from the simple pleasure of enjoying this good food for its own sake, let me detail a little of its nutritional value. One cup of cooked black beans provides over 15 grams of protein, only 40 grams of carbohydrate (a large percentage of which is fiber) and less than a gram of fat. And of that gram of fat, more than 180 mg is actually omega-3 fats, not too far from some of those little yellow fishy pills you may have been swallowing! They are low glycemic index (will not raise blood sugar excessively), provide generous amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium (helping to normalize blood pressure), and that’s even before we get to the main health benefits!
You may not know that black beans, like other legumes, provide large amounts of soluble fiber; this helps lower LDL cholesterol, and also improves your body’s sensitivity to your own insulin, making diabetes less likely. The other major heart-healthy component of black beans is their folate content. That one cup of black beans alone can provide over half of your daily folate requirement, lowering high homocysteine levels which are a risk factor for heart disease. And medical research has confirmed what you would expect from this food, that having beans as the main course, instead of meat, for four meals per week significantly lowers your risk of heart attack.
As if the remarkable reduction of heart disease risk from black beans were not enough, you can add cancer prevention to their portfolio. Specifically, studies have suggested that legume intake reduces risk of both prostate and stomach cancer.
I hope by now, if black beans were not in your grocery list, that you will look for them on your next shopping run! And I also hope that you will take the time to soak, cook, eat and enjoy this wonderful food without sitting at the table thinking about all the health benefits. Food provides pleasure and satisfaction, especially when enjoyed at a relaxed meal with someone you love.
But don’t take my word for it….
Here’s a simple recipe.
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Mexican Black Bean Dip
My wife Gail and I have enjoyed making this dip for parties or groups of people where we want to demonstrate that fun food can be good and healthy too! It’s quite simple.
Take about 3 cups of canned or cooked black beans, mash them and set aside. In a large skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil, heat 1/3 cup chopped onions, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, ½ cup diced tomatoes, ¼ cup spicy picante sauce, and ½ tsp chili powder. Remove from heat, mix in the beans, ¼ cup fresh cilantro and 1 tbsp lime juice. Mix together and serve as a dip with whole grain corn tortilla chips or other suitable vehicle.
– Robert Pendertrast
