may happen. The first theory is that the pectins in the beans form a gel in your stomach that
sops up fats so that they cannot be absorbed by your body. The second is that bacteria in the
gut feed on the bean fiber, producing chemicals called 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, pro-
ducing 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
(bread or potato). In studies at the University of Kentucky, researchers put diabetic patients
on a bean-grains-fruit-and-vegetables diet developed at the University of Toronto and recom-
mended by the American Diabetes Association. On the diet, patients with type 1 diabetes
(whose bodies do not produce any insulin) to cut their 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 their doctors and/or
dietitians before altering their diet.
As a diet aid. Although beans are very high in calories, they have so much bulky fiber that
even a small serving can make you feel full. And, since beans are insulin-sparing (because
they don’t cause blood-sugar levels to rise quickly), they postpone the natural surge of insu-
lin that triggers hunger pangs. In fact, research at the University of Toronto suggests the
insulin-sparing effect may last for several hours after eating beans, perhaps even until after
the next meal.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Intestinal gas. All legumes (beans and peas) contain raffinose and stachyose, sugars that
cannot be digested by human beings. Instead, they are fermented by bacteria living in the
intestinal tract, producing the gassiness many people associate with eating beans. Since
raffinose and stachyose leach out of the limas into the water when you cook lima beans,
discarding the water in which you cook fresh limas beans or presoak dried ones may make
them less gassy.
Allergic reaction. According to the Merck Manual, legumes (including lima beans) are one of
the 12 foods most likely to trigger classic food allergy symptoms: hives, swelling of the lips
and eyes, and upset stomach. The others are berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries,
strawberries), chocolate, corn, eggs, fish, milk, nuts, peaches, pork, shellfish, and wheat (see
wheat cereals).
Food/Drug Interactions
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are drugs used to
treat depression. They inactivate naturally occurring enzymes in your body that metabolize
Lima Beans