providing more than 400 mcg folate and 3 mg vitamin B 6 a day from either food or supple-
ments, more than twice the current R DA for each, may reduce a woman’s risk of heart
attack by almost 50 percent. Although men were not included in the analysis, the results
are assumed to apply to them as well. NOTE: Beans are high in B 6 as well as folate. Fruit,
green leafy vegetables, whole grains, meat, fish, poultry, and shellfish are good sources of
vitamin B 6.
To reduce the levels of serum cholesterol. The gums and pectins in dried beans and peas appear
to lower blood levels of cholesterol. Currently there are two theories to explain how this may
happen. The first theory is that the pectins in the beans form a gel in your stomach that sops
up fats and keeps them from being absorbed by your body. The second is that bacteria in
the gut feed on the bean fiber, producing short-chain fatty acids that inhibit the production
of cholesterol in your liver.
As a source of carbohydrates for people with diabetes. Beans are digested very slowly, produc-
ing only a gradual rise in blood-sugar levels. As a result, the body needs less insulin to control
blood sugar after eating beans than after eating some other high-carbohydrate foods (such
as bread or potato). In studies at the University of Kentucky, a bean, whole-grain, vegetable,
and fruit-rich diet developed at the University of Toronto enabled patients with type 1 dia-
betes (who do not produce any insulin themselves) to cut their daily insulin intake by 38
percent. Patients with type 2 diabetes (who can produce some insulin) were able to reduce
their insulin injections by 98 percent. This diet is in line with the nutritional guidelines of
the American Diabetes Association, but people with diabetes should always consult with
their doctors and/or dietitians before altering their diet.
As a diet aid. Although beans are high in calories, they are also high in bulk (fiber); even
a small serving can make you feel full. And, because they are insulin-sparing, they delay
the rise in insulin levels that makes us feel hungry again soon after eating. Research at the
University of Toronto suggests the insulin-sparing effect may last for several hours after you
eat the beans, perhaps until after the next meal.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Intestinal gas. All legumes (beans and peas) contain raffinose and stachyose, complex sug-
ars that human beings cannot digest. The sugars sit in the gut and are fermented by intestinal
bacteria which then produce gas that distends the intestines and makes us uncomfortable.
You can lessen this effect by covering the beans with water, bringing them to a boil for
three to five minutes, and then setting them aside to soak for four to six hours so that the
indigestible sugars leach out in the soaking water, which can be discarded. Alternatively, you
may soak the beans for four hours in nine cups of water for every cup of beans, discard the
soaking water, and add new water as your recipe directs. Then cook the beans; drain them
before serving.
Production of uric acid. Purines are the natural metabolic by-products of protein metabo-
lism in the body. They eventually break down into uric acid, sharp crystals that may
Beans