Green Beans: Nutritional Value, Advantages, Disadvantages and Quick Recipes

In households throughout the world, green beans are very popular. They go by many names, with snap beans and string beans being some of the more common ones. However, considering their names, they're not all green. A form of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a green bean, and it can be yellow or purple too. 

Green beans are native to North, South, and Central America. However, today, they are cultivated all over the world. They expand year-round, ensuring that no matter what season it is, you'll find them in grocery stores. Their peak season, though, is between May and October, which is when they are mostly found at local farmers' markets. 

Green beans, string beans, or snap beans are a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K and folic acid and fiber. They have nutritional benefits comparable to snap peas and okra (ladyfinger). 

Nutritional Value and health benefits of Green Beans

Nutrition 

Eating all sorts of fruits and vegetables will help decrease the likelihood of certain detrimental health problems. Beans bring plenty of health benefits with them and are one of those vegetables which we should include in our diet. 

Many studies have shown that the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and total mortality is decreased by having more plant foods, such as green beans, in the diet. 

Fruit and vegetable eating also encourages a balanced skin, improved stamina, and reduced weight overall.  

Although Green beans may be low in calories, several essential nutrients are found in green beans that offer many health benefits. The legumes, including vitamin C, flavonols, quercetin, and kaempferol, are full of antioxidants. These antioxidants counteract the body's free radicals, which help mitigate cell harm and can help reduce the risk of some health conditions. 

Benefits: 

The supplied nutrients present in the beans will help decrease the likelihood of a variety of health problems such as: 

1. Prevents Cancer:

A high volume of chlorophyll is found in green beans. This will prevent the cancer-causing effects of high-temperature heterocyclic amines that are produced when grilling meat. To decrease the risk, individuals who like their grilled foods charred should pair them with green vegetables. 

2. Fertility and Pregnancy:

Beans are a good source of iron, and it is proposed by Harvard Medical School that this may improve female fertility. According to Harvard Medical School, eating more iron from plant sources such as lettuce, beans, pumpkin, and green beans tend to encourage pregnancy for women of child-bearing age.

Other tests have shown a link between the fertility level of an individual and the amount of energy that she absorbs, like iron. It may enhance iron absorption by combining iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods like tomatoes, bell peppers, or berries. During pregnancy, sufficient folic acid intake is also required to protect the fetus from neural tube defects. Around 10 percent of the daily requirement for folic acid and 6 percent of iron is given by one cup of green beans.

3. Depression

It can also assist with stress and fulfill everyday folate needs. An accumulation of homocysteine in the body can be avoided by sufficient folate intake. Too much homocysteine may block the blood and other resources from accessing the brain and may interfere with the development of mood, sleep, and appetite-regulating feel-good hormones serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. 

4. Bone Health:

Low vitamin K consumption is associated with a higher risk of fracturing the bone.

By modifying bone matrix proteins, improving calcium absorption, and reducing urinary excretion of calcium, sufficient vitamin K intake improves bone health.  One cup of green beans contains 14.4 micrograms of vitamin K, or approximately 20 percent of the daily requirement, or 4 percent of the daily calcium requirement of a human.  

The Diet 

Beans for the bone structure can have tremendous benefits.  Beans are sold in the market in canned, frozen also in fresh state too.  Rinsing and draining canned beans is essential, as this lowers the sodium content by up to 41 percent. 

Fresh beans should have a color that is crisp and light green. In a bag, refrigerating them will retain their freshness. 

Quick Recipes: 

It is possible to eat certain types of green beans raw. Only snap or cut each end off and add it to your favorite hummus in a salad or dip. 

Drizzle the olive oil, garlic, and freshly crushed pepper with the fresh green beans and roast for 20 to 25 minutes at 425 Fahrenheit, turning halfway through. 

Some Disadvantages of having beans: 

Lectins are a type of carbohydrate-binding protein. They are found in beans, green beans included. The amounts of lectin can be lowered by cooking beans. However, it still can have harmful effects on our bodies. 

There is phytic acid in green beans, which can bond with minerals to keep them from being consumed. Before eating additional green beans, people who have a mineral deficiency should consult with a doctor.