Barefoot Healthy Hippie

5 ways beans are good for Runners and everyone else:

One cup of beans gives you 30 to 40 grams, equaling 10% of your daily value of complex carbohydrates. These are slow release carbs that help you fuel your running.

One cup of beans has as much protein as two cups of milk. Beans, together with grains, contain all the essential amino acids you need. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, so these foods help maintain the health of muscles.

One cup of beans will supply 10 to 17 grams of fiber, which is half of what you need daily. In other words, they help keep you regular. If you have a sensitive GI system, add beans slowly to your diet so you can adjust, and don't eat them just before a run- only if you have sensitive bowels. Quick tip: If beans initially cause you discomfort, try just a little at a time, your body will adjust unless you have an allergy or other medical concern related to them. In my experience beans are only a gassy food when you aren't eating healthy. If you eat beans as part of a healthy diet, you will have little to no discomfort.

Eating beans four times a week lowers your risk for heart disease by 22%, that's amazing! They are a good source of soluble fiber as well as folate. Folate is a B vitamin that removes a damaging compound called homocysteine. The following comes from the American Heart Association about homocysteine.

"Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. Too much of it is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease (fatty deposits in peripheral arteries).

Evidence suggests that homocysteine may promote atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in blood vessels) by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots."

And finally, beans contain phyto-nutrients that fight cancer. Eating beans four times a week lowers the risk of colon cancer. Your risk of colon cancer is lowered when you eat anything with enough fiber four times a week. So eat bran cereal, whole grains and beans, get in that fiber!

Now that I've got you excited about beans (I hope!) head over to my good friend Juli's blog to learn many many ways to eat them. Juli's Blog

Canned versus dried?

Canned:

Costs less than 50 cents per serving.

It's convenient, already cooked and soft.

May contain up to 800mg sodium per serving, which is about 30% of your daily value. If you have to watch your salt intake, canned may not be the best choice for you.

They are still packed with nutrients.

You can't control the firmness, but they still taste good.

You can't control the water they were cooked and packed in. There is a chance your beans were fortified with fluoride and any number of minerals that existed in the water. This can be detrimental to health and flavor. It's not life and death, but if you choose to not use fluoride, stay away from the canned beans (and canned anything unless you can it yourself with fluoride free water).


Dry


Costs about 20 cents per serving.

Must be soaked/boiled for hours. The older your beans, the more soaking required. I've soaked and cooked them in a crock pot for more than 24 hours before, so it takes planning.

They are sodium free except for what you add.

There is slightly more fiber, iron, folate and calcium since they are less processed.

You have more control over their taste, you get to decide what to add to your beans, and how firm you want them.

You know exactly what is in them, you cook it with your own water and own seasonings. No secret fluoride or minerals.




Most of the information in this article came from Runner's World Magazine.