The plants that produce beans, which are excellent food both fresh and dried and have many health benefits, are from the Legume family. Beans, which are native to the American continent and were brought to Europe in the sixteenth century and from there spread to the entire world and began to be cultivated, are generally annual climbing herbaceous plants. Beans, which have many species, are divided into two main groups: pole beans and dwarf beans.
There are types of pole beans such as bush, ayşekadın, şeker and kidney beans; dwarf beans are types called yer and ferasetsiz. In previous years, soy and black-eyed peas were counted among the bean groups, but recently they have been introduced under their own special titles. While pole beans can grow up to 3 m, the growth in ground beans is much less. Bean plants have round-sectioned, durable bodies; leaves with stems of different lengths and pointed ends, the color of which varies in shades of green depending on the species.
Since bean leaves do not like the sun very much, the swellings where the leaf stalk connects to the stem move the stalks and allow the leaf to lean towards the sun. The flowers of the bean plant are white, yellow, red and purplish depending on the species. These flowers, which also have a hermaphroditic feature, are self-pollinating. The pollinated flowers form a pod. The seeds of the plant are formed inside this pod, varying in number from 4 to 10 depending on the species.
Bean seeds (kernels) are again white, beige, black, brown, red or cherry colored or have spots in many different colors depending on the species. The most important feature of the bean plant's pod consumed as a fresh vegetable is the awn that lies embedded on the sides of the pod. In plant breeding studies, the aim is to make the awn as thin as possible.
When the dried pods of the beans are removed, the resulting seeds are consumed as dried vegetables. Fresh and dried, beans are among the indispensable vegetables of Turkish cuisine.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES
The average nutritional values of 100 grams of various types of green beans can be listed as follows: 25-103 calories; 1.6-8.4 gr. protein; 5.4 gr. carbohydrates; 0 cholesterol; 0.2 gr. fat; 1-6.7 gr. fiber; 37 mg. phosphorus; 37-50 mg. calcium; 0.6-2.5 mg. iron; 4 mg. sodium; 151-420 mg. potassium; 1 mg. zinc; 540 IU vitamin A; 0.07 mg. vitamin B1; 0.9 mg. vitamin B2; 0.5 mg. vitamin B3; 42 mcg. folic acid and 12 mg. vitamin C.
However, the nutritional value of beans is very high. The average nutritional value of 100 grams of beans can be listed as follows: 340 calories: 23 grams protein: 21.2 grams carbohydrates: 0 cholesterol; 1.6 grams fat; 1.5 grams fiber; 148 mg phosphorus: 144 mg calcium: 7.8 mg iron: 416 mg potassium: 0.65 mg vitamin B1: 0.22 mg vitamin B2: 2.4 mg vitamin B3 and 1.1 mg vitamin E. This is why experts recommend consuming beans frequently.
BENEFITS TO OUR HEALTH
Fasulyeler kandaki kötü kolesterol düzeyini önemli ölçüde düşürürler. ABD’de son zamanlarda yapılan bilimsel araştırmalarda, diyetlerinde düzenli olarak çeşitli fasulyelere yer veren kişilerin, üç haftalık böyle bir diyetten sonra kötü kolesterol düzeylerinde %19’lara varan düşüşlerin yaşandığını saptamıştır.
Regular intake of beans, which are high in potassium, reduces high blood pressure.
With their rich fiber content, beans are good for people suffering from constipation, and those suffering from colon and hemorrhoid problems should also benefit from beans.
Beans, with their high iron content, prevent anemia, and with their folic acid content, they minimize the risk of pregnant women having children with spina bifida (an open spine on one side).
Beans help diabetics by keeping insulin and blood sugar levels under control.
Beans, with their high antioxidant content, reduce the risk of cancer in the body: In this context, breast cancer, especially in women, and colon cancer in general, can be counted.
In order to benefit from these very important health benefits, experts recommend that we consume 55-60 grams of dry beans and 100-120 grams of fresh beans in our daily diet.
