Beans are super healthy for you!Featured this week on Fiber Focus Friday is a food well deserving of the title of ULTIMATE HIGH FIBER FOOD. Beans (in the legume family) are one of the best foods you can possibility eat.

Beans are extremely high in fiber and protein, and eating them brings a great many health benefits.

However, it is indeed true that while beans are indeed a great food to eat the old diddy still holds truth.

“Beans, Beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot!”

I first remember my Grandma singing that to me, but we can only guess at the saying’s first origins. Regardless, beans can indeed make you gassy, but that is why water consumption is key when starting to eat these types of foods!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy learning about this magically musical food!

Types of Beans

Listed below are some of the more common types of beans that you can find in just about any grocery store. I don’t personally have a taste preference, and I think the biggest difference you will notice between the types is the size of an individual bean. Black beans run a little smaller, and kidney beans are usually larger.

  • Black Beans
  • Kidney Beans
  • Cannellini Beans
  • Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • Great Northern Beans (if I was FORCED to choose, I would choose these beans, but maybe that is because they are called Great Northern and I am from Maine originally??)
  • Lima Beans
  • Pinto Beans
  • Chili Beans
  • Navy Beans

Bean Quick Fact Card

Bean Quick Fact Card

How to Grow Your Own Beans

Growing beans is relatively simple, and it is something even new gardeners can do. However, they do grow best in the southern part of the US, so you might be hard pressed to grow beans while living in the more northern states!

Regardless, with the right care and hard work, you can grow things just about anywhere. If you really want to have beans growing in your backyard (or greenhouse) then you can definitely make it happen!

Where Did Beans Come From, and Why Are They Called Legumes?

According to WikiPedia: One of the first know beans were called broad beans (or fava beans). These beans were gathered in Afghanistan and were very small. They were then seen in Thailand, and eventually were found buried with the dead in Egypt.

Nowadays, you can find beans in your local supermarket, and for the most part, nobody is getting buried with beans anymore! It is crazy to think of the Egyptian culture and how different it was, but I am sure they would be shaking their heads at some of the stuff we do and say!

Anyways, beans are called legumes because they are in the legume family of plants.

How Much Fiber in Beans?

It depends on the type of bean, but for Navy Beans the amount of fiber per cup of beans is 19 grams. For a full list of the varying amounts of fiber in beans see Fiber Content of Legumes on this site.

Beans pack a massive fiber punch, so be SURE to drink plenty of water if you add them to your diet.

I credit beans as one of the prime forces in my own personal weight loss journey. I ate them constantly in my weekly chili (click for the awesome recipe), and their high fiber and high protein contents melded well with my lifting routine.

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Health Benefits of Beans

Beans are full of health benefits. Obviously they are high in fiber (and of course we all know that is a good thing) but they also have several other health benefits!

  1. Reduced risk of colon cancer due to the high amount of fiber.
  2. As I stated above, the protein content is excellent, and is a great boost to any post workout meal.
  3. Heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are all combated with bean consumption.
  4. Beans are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which gives your immune system a much needed boost!
  5. Beans can help reduce bad cholesterol.
  6. The feeling of fullness is given by beans, and this will help you to lose weight by satisfying your appetite!

Fun Facts About Beans

  • Beans are super cheap! The recipe that I listed above only costs about 5 dollars (Assuming you have spices!).
  • During their growth, beans actually enrich the soil instead of depleting it by adding nitrogen to the soil, and it is the only cultivated plan that does this!
  • Some of the top producers of beans are Australia, Nepal, the United States, Bangladesh, China, India, Canada, and Turkey.
  • North Dakota is currently the state that grows the most beans.
  • in Britain, 38.5 tons of baked beans are eaten every hour.
  • Beans are technically a fruit and they are the large seeds of certain types of plants.

How Do I Eat Beans?

I prefer to eat my beans by making chili, eating baked beans, or making a bean and sweet potato soup. Any way that you eat them, beans can indeed be tasty! Try out some of the recipes listed below for a new take on the classic bean!

Other Awesome Recipes That Have Beans

Final Thoughts on Beans

Beans are an amazing food, and they are definitely something you should add to your diet right away. Whether you make chili with them, or add them in as a sauce, beans are an excellent contributor to a long and healthy life.

Thank you so much for reading, and be sure to comment with your thoughts on beans, whether you love them or hate them!

-Jordan