As a diabetic, I’m always looking for ways to control my glucose levels. Recent studies have show that eating a cup of beans per day can reduce glucose levels and make control easier. So I tried it myself: for a month I ate a cup of beans per day. One of my favorites was Paisley Farm All Natural Five Bean Salad – 64oz for a pittance at Sam’s Club. Sure enough, my glucose levels fell. But, I felt I needed more variety. I was listing to NPR and Tom Ashbrook’s fine program “On Point” on Thanksgiving and Crescent Dragonwagon was talking about her new bean cookbook. I listened to the interview and immediately got a copy of Bean by Bean. I’m working my way through it. Delicious recipes! You don’t have to be a diabetic to love this food. GRADE: A
BEAN FACTS:
1. Beans are the only cultivated plants that actually enrich, rather than deplete, the soil during the growing process. How is this possible? Legumes have nodules on their roots that add nitrogen to the soil instead of using it up.
2. Cooked beans can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
3. Bean carbohydrates have been proven to drastically improve the stability of blood sugar levels in diabetics. Many adult-onset diabetics have been able to greatly reduce or eliminate their dependence on insulin through diets containing substantial amounts of beans.
4. In ancient Rome, so esteemed were legumes that the four leading families took their names from them: Lentullus (lentil), Piso (pea), Cicero (chickpea), and Fabius (fava).
5. Some ancient cults who believed in reincarnation, most notably the monastic followers of Pythagoras, thought human souls traveled through the stems of bean plants to Hades, where they were then transmogrified for their next lives; it was therefore a sin to eat beans or even walk among bean plants.
6. The mischief-maker behind the bean’s reputation as a musical fruit is a group of complex sugars called oligosaccharides. Oligosaccharides cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes; instead, our intestinal bacteria ferment them during digestion, causing most of the gas attributable to beans. Luckily, it’s possible to mitigate the gas-making effects of beans through controlling factors such as cooking method and duration, complementary ingredients, and the variety of bean used. (The least “flatulating” legumes are said to be lentils, split peas, adzuki beans, mung beans, and black-eyed peas.)
7. In terms of sheer numbers and staggering diversity, no part of the world comes close to matching the abundance and variety of beans available in America: kidney and black beans, navy and cranberry, lima, white runner, scarlet runner, brown tepary and white tepary, calico, eye-of-the-goat, nightfall, fresh green beans, and more!
How do Campbell’s Pork and Beans stack up in that mix?
Hey, I didn’t have to log in this time. Yay!
Bob, I’m sure Patrick will continue to monitor your login situation. I ate plenty of Campbell’s Pork & Beans when I was growing up, but now I favor more exotic fare.
I heard the same show on NPR that you did and added this book to my Christmas wish list that very afternoon. I love to cook and am a big fan of using beans (although our New Orleans style red beans and rice, served with lots of hot sausage, probably isn’t the healthiest of options). My favorite bean dish is curried lentils, which I serve over brown rice. My husband calls it “hippie food,” but it’s delish!
Curried lentils…yum! Deb, I’ll have to give that a try. And curry is associated with lower rates of Alzheimer’s.
We eat a lot of beans. Last night we had red peppers stuffed with red beans, shrimp and rice, in fact. We get dried ones at a store up north of here that carried all sorts of different ones. We throw lentils into a lot of salads. Chick peas can be roasted and are delicious.
I do find they are not the easiest food on my stomach though.
I might have a remedy for your tummy, Patti. I’m still experimenting so I’ll let you (and everyone) know the results on my blog in a week or two. That red pepper stuffed with red beans, shrimp, and rice sounds delicious!
Crescent Dragonwagon? Seriously? I am so out of touch with NPR.
We eat a lot of beans too, though Jackie only likes a few varieties (like chick peas). Campbell’s pork & beans is good for fiber, Cap’n. Yes, curried lentils are good. I eat a lot of black beans with Mexican food.
I love Mexican food and one reason is the beans, Jeff. And, you’re right: fiber is important!
Beano and its competitors do have a purpose…particularly for (lazy or lacto-ovo as well as the more true or vegan) vegetarians such as myself.
Beano is a constant in our home, Todd.
Did not expect a post about beans and flatulence this morning.
George, somewhere, can’t remember exactly where, I read that the lap-band surgery that’s performed on the morbidly obese has a side-effect of eliminating diabetes. Interesting if it actually works.
Weight loss can reverse some of the effects of diabetes, Drongo. But I’d rather have a new stem-cell pancreas than go through high-risk lap-band surgery.
As Bill Crider would say, Flatulating Legumes would be a good name for a rock band.
Dave Barry would say that, too, Jeff.
Well, all good things must end. I had to log in again today.
The beans I eat most often are canned pork and beans or refried beans at El Toro. I wonder if these have sugar added and we ought to use dried beans for health reasons.
Speaking of flatulence, have you ever made a flamer? It’s a real gas in a darkened room. 🙂
I generally avoid fires, Bob. I’ll have Patrick continue to work on that login issue. He’s giving his FINAL EXAM on Friday so you might have to wait until the weekend for a resolution.
Have to check this out. Like most beans, except wax and refried. I also am diabetic but have the added problem of being skinny and having to eat more carbs than I should to keep my weight up.
You will love BEAN BY BEAN, Steve. And I’m sure some of the heartier recipes will supply some complex carbs while also controlling your glucose levels.