Apr . 03, 2024 11:16 Back to list
5 Things You Need to Know About the Health Benefits of Red Beans
Protein is the primary structural component of your body. It's made of amino acids and is needed for the creation of cells, tissues, organs, bones and skin. Protein plays many other crucial roles in health, functioning as:
- Antibodies to protect the body from infection
- Enzymes to carry out chemical reactions in cells
- Messengers to transmit signals between cells, tissues and organs
- Transportation for atoms and small molecules throughout the body
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 1 cup of cooked kidney beans contains 15 grams of protein. The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is about 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight. For an adult weighing 150 pounds, that's about 54 grams per day. One cup of kidney beans would provide 28 percent of the RDA.
How much protein you need depends on not only your body weight but how active you are. Because protein helps repair muscle damage and build lean muscle mass, people who exercise — especially those who resistance train regularly — need more protein than those who are less active. The protein in beans will help you reach your goal whether you're sedentary or highly active.
Animal Protein vs. Plant Protein
The nutrition world often debates the quality of protein in animal foods versus the protein in plant foods. This is due to animal protein sources being "complete" and plant sources being "incomplete" proteins. Complete proteins, such as beef, contain all the essential amino acids your body needs. Plant proteins, on the other hand, are typically low in or missing one or more of these amino acids.
Dark Red Kidney Beans
However, this doesn't make them inadequate. As long as you're getting these amino acids from other foods throughout the day, you're getting enough of these protein components. If you eat animal products, they provide all your amino acids; if you only eat plant foods, complementary protein sources, such as rice, will fill in any gaps.
Plant proteins have another benefit — they're lower in fat, especially saturated fats. In fact, a cup of red beans contains less than 1 gram of fat and barely a trace of saturated fat. Compare that to a serving of lean red meat, which has 25 grams of fat and 10 grams of saturated fat in a 3-ounce serving. Even lean chicken breast can't beat red beans for a low-fat source of protein with 3 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat in 3 ounces.
Saturated fat increases your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. According to a review in the International Journal of Epidemiology, eating more plant sources of protein, like beans, can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Red Beans Nutrition Boosts Your Health
In addition to their protein content, red beans health benefits come from their wide array of nutrients that support various physiological functions crucial for health. Red beans are a rich source of five important nutrients:
Dietary fiber: Fiber is the part of plant foods your body can't digest. Fiber moves through your digestive system relatively intact and adds bulk to stool, helping to push it through the digestive tract. A high-fiber diet prevents constipation, and it can improve your heart health because it binds with cholesterol in your digestive tract and carries it out of your body before it can be absorbed.
According to the National Academy of Medicine, you need between 25 and 38 grams of fiber per day. One cup of red beans provides 11.3 grams of fiber, or about 45 percent of a woman's daily needs and 30 percent of a man's daily needs.
Iron: The mineral iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, a blood protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues. Iron also supports metabolism and aids growth, development and cellular functioning, as well as the creation of some hormones.
Red beans contain nonheme iron, the form found in all plant foods. Animal foods contain heme iron, which is more bioavailable and is less affected by other dietary components that can inhibit iron absorption. However, according to the Medical Journal of Australia, people who eat a plant-based diet aren't at any higher risk of iron deficiency than those who eat animal foods.
Red beans provide 5 milligrams of iron per cup, which is more than 20 percent of the RDA for adults.
Magnesium: As a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems, magnesium plays an important role in diverse biochemical reactions that synthesize proteins, regulate blood pressure, sustain blood sugar control and support muscle and nerve function. Magnesium also aids energy production and bone development and is necessary for the transportation of potassium and calcium into cells, which is crucial for healthy muscle and heart function.
The RDA for magnesium is between 320 and 420 milligrams per day. One cup of red beans provides 80 milligrams, which is about 20 percent of the RDA.
Phosphorous: Phosphorous is primarily responsible for the formation of teeth and bones. It is also involved in energy production, cell signaling and regulation of the body's pH. Working with the B vitamins, phosphorous supports kidney function, muscle contractions and normal heartbeat.
People need 700 milligrams of phosphorous a day. One cup of red beans provides 251 milligrams or 36 percent of the daily requirement.
Folate: Red beans are an excellent source of folate, a B vitamin that aids DNA production and cell division. Therefore, it's crucial to growth and development, especially of babies in the womb. For this reason, pregnant adults are advised to get extra folate during pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Folate, as with most B vitamins, also plays a major role in energy production.
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