Black beans, also called black soybeans, English name black soybeans / kuromame, are a kind of beans loved by Chinese people. Like soybeans (soybean or yellow soybean) and green beans (green soybean), black beans are also a variant of soybean. It is not surprising that green pepper plants have various colors. Because they are close relatives, the nutritional composition of these three beans is very similar and very different from other beans. People generally refer to beans other than soybeans, black beans and green beans as miscellaneous beans.
Perhaps it is the characteristic of Chinese people with yellow skin and black hair. Traditional Chinese medicine highly recommends black and red beans and grains, believing that such foods can promote black hair and kidney health. The all-encompassing black plant is loved by many Chinese people, but may not be favored by Africans and Europeans. This is where many people’s affection and preference for black beans come from. So how does modern science view black beans? This issue of Food and Heart will combine research on nutrition and life sciences to introduce you to the nutritional value and health value of black beans, learn how to eat black beans healthier, and whether there are any health risks in eating black beans.
1. The nutritional value of black beans
In China, people often eat soybeans in a similar way to soybeans, such as Fry beans, make soy milk, grind tofu, press tofu to make yuba, etc. In Japan, people like black bean tea and black bean snacks very much. Generally, the price of black bean foods is higher than that of similar soybean foods. So, what are the nutritional advantages of black beans?
1. High protein. The protein content of dry black beans is higher than that of meat. It is related to soybeans. The protein of black beans is the same as that of soybeans, accounting for 36% of the weight of dry beans.
2. High fiber. Black beans are rich in dietary fiber, accounting for about 10.5% of the weight of dry beans.
3. Rich in minerals. The minerals in black beans are not only complete in variety, but also very rich in content. 100 grams of dry black beans can meet 173% of a person's daily copper needs, 123% of manganese needs, 57% of magnesium needs, 38% of zinc needs and 38% of iron needs.
4. Rich in vitamin E. 100 grams of dry black beans can meet 115% of a person’s daily vitamin E needs.
5. Rich in antioxidants. The black skin of black beans comes from rich anthocyanins, which is better than soybeans. However, this layer of black skin makes the content of soy isoflavones in black beans lower than that of soybeans, but the synergistic health effect of soybean isoflavones and anthocyanins is better than that of soybeans.
6. Good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Like soybeans, black beans also contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is beneficial to the human body.
7. Cholesterol-free.
Please refer to the figure below for the specific nutritional composition of black beans.
2. The health value of black beans
To sum up, many studies show that regular consumption of black beans can have the following 13 effects on the human body: health effects.
1. Promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microorganisms. The rich dietary fiber and antioxidant substances in black beans can "add food" to beneficial intestinal microorganisms, thereby promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and improving intestinal flora.
2. Reduce oxidative stress and repair oxidative damage. The rich antioxidant substances in black beans, such as anthocyanins, can resist the damage of oxidative stress to the human body.
3. Promote digestion. Promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent and improve digestive problems.
4. Promote muscle gain. Soybeans such as black beans and soybeans contain a large amount of protein, which can be used as a high-quality protein source like meat to promote muscle gain and maintenance.
5. Prevent osteoporosis. The rich calcium and soy isoflavones in black beans can help improve bone health and prevent and improve osteoporosis.
6. Maintain blood sugar stability. Studies have found that people who regularly eat black beans have more stable blood sugar levels than those who don't.
7. Promote weight control.
Due to the rich protein and dietary fiber, eating black beans makes you feel fuller and helps the body to better control weight.
8. Prevent and fight cancer. Regular consumption of black beans can help reduce the risk of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.
9. Lower cholesterol. Rich in protein, dietary fiber and antioxidant content, black beans can help the body improve cholesterol metabolism and reduce bad cholesterol levels.
10. Reduce the risk of blood clots. Regular consumption of black beans can help reduce the formation of atherosclerotic plaque and reduce the risk of blood clots.
11. Promote blood circulation and prevent heart disease.
12. Improve female fertility. Mainly related to the rich vitamin E and folic acid in black beans.
13. Promote hair growth and improve hair loss. Black beans contain various nutrients needed for hair growth, such as protein, fat, iron, zinc, selenium, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin E, which can promote hair growth, improve hair loss and reduce dandruff. It should be reminded that research around the world has not determined that the blackness of black beans has a detectable contribution to the blackness of hair.
The health value of black beans is summarized in the figure below:
3. 5 common misunderstandings about black beans
< p> For a long time, Chinese people have believed in the simple concept that food can promote health and the role of dietary supplements/medicinal diets. However, the specific foods that are good and how to eat them well are full of controversy and vague. Various strange and even contradictory opinions are often circulated in the market, leaving people confused as to what to do. For a food, the more benefits it promotes, the more taboos it comes with. The same is true for black beans. Here Food and Mind clarify 5 common misconceptions about black beans.
1. Men cannot eat black beans, as it will reduce androgens. Children cannot eat black beans as it will promote precocious puberty.
Like soybeans, black beans also contain a large amount of soy isoflavones. This kind of phytoestrogens is equated with human estrogen by many people. It will increase estrogen in the body, thus disrupting the body's hormone levels. There are even more ridiculous articles saying that a certain boy has breast development because he likes to eat tofu, etc.
This kind of worry is completely unnecessary. There is currently no evidence that eating soybeans such as black beans/soybeans will affect human sex hormone levels. The isoflavones in soybeans will be absorbed by the human intestinal tract. Microorganisms metabolize and change composition. Regardless of whether men eat soybeans or not, they all have the same X chromosome as women. Don’t believe the story about estrogen. Just pay more attention to the problem of children eating junk food.
2. Women should not eat black beans, which will increase the risk of breast cancer.
In fact, the prebiotics in soybeans such as black beans help adjust intestinal flora, and intestinal microorganisms can convert soy isoflavones into mares with anti-cancer effects. Phenol, in fact regular consumption of soybeans can significantly reduce the risk of various tumors including breast cancer.
3. People with thyroid disease cannot eat black beans.
This concern is mainly due to the fear that the phytoestrogens in black beans may disrupt human endocrine. In fact, scientific research has concluded the opposite.
Since most patients with thyroid disease generally have obvious leaky gut, that is, several specific proteins they eat are not digested correctly in the digestive tract, but pass through the intestines and enter. into the body and cause an immune response or autoimmune attack. Such people usually have one or more food intolerances. If they are indeed found to be intolerant to soybeans, they also need to fast on black beans for a period of time as recommended, repair the leaky gut, and then start fasting on black beans.
4. People with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or gluten allergies should not eat black beans.
In these three cases, it is not recommended to eat soybeans such as black beans and soybeans. It was discovered that there are two main reasons:
People with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity may benefit from eating black beans if they do not have a known allergy or intolerance to soy.
5. People with kidney disease cannot eat black beans
This statement has been popular on domestic web pages, saying that people with kidney disease urinate High protein, eating more protein will increase the burden on the kidneys. In fact, plant protein and animal protein have different effects on patients with kidney disease, and plant protein is relatively safer.
In 2014, J Zhang, Liu, F Tian and others from Shanghai Huashan Hospital published a data analysis study in the European Journal of Nutrition and found that soy protein intake can reduce serum creatinine and phosphorus levels in patients with chronic kidney disease, and even reduce triglycerides. level.
The 2018 Handbook of Food Bioengineering pointed out that soybean isoflavones, phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids, etc. are beneficial to the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. Many foreign countries recommend dialysis patients and kidney transplant patients to use soy products, including edamame, soymilk, tempeh, tofu and other foods.
However, Food and Mind does not believe that the more soy products the better, it should be just right, otherwise too much is not enough. Patients with kidney disease need to reduce their protein intake, which mainly refers to animal proteins. Replacing part of the meat with soy protein can better improve the disease. If you refuse black beans because of kidney disease, it is really the same as worrying about giving up eating due to choking.
3. Which one is healthier, black beans, soybeans or green beans?
Black beans, soybeans and green beans are the three most common in China. The soybean varieties have similar calories, similar nutritional composition, and similar health values.
The macronutrient contents of the three soybeans are similar, but their trace element compositions are different. Soybeans have the highest vitamin E content, while green beans have the highest vitamin A content. The main advantage of black beans is their rich anthocyanins and minerals such as copper and zinc. Anthocyanins are mainly located in the seed coat of black beans. Therefore, if you want to better utilize the health value of black beans, you must eat them with the skin on. If someone tells you that the bean sprouts you buy are made from black beans, then you will lose money; if the dried tofu and tofu you buy are said to be made from black beans, you will also lose money, because good things such as anthocyanins and dietary fiber are basically They were all "thrown" out.
The nutritional value advantages of the three types of soybeans are shown in the figure below:
3. Precautions for eating black beans
Black beans are a very healthy food, and their various health benefits for the human body have been proven by scientific research. However, improper cooking and processing methods of black beans may reduce the health value of black beans, and excessive consumption may be harmful rather than beneficial. In addition, people in some special conditions are not suitable to eat more black beans. To give full play to the health value of black beans, you need to pay attention to the following points when cooking and eating:
1. People who are determined to have soy allergies or soy intolerance also have the same attitude towards black beans. If you are allergic or intolerant, don’t think that you can eat black beans if you can’t eat soybeans, because they are relatives. People with allergies need to fast for a period of time depending on the severity, and then resume eating from less to more.
2. Since the protein content of black beans is higher than that of meat, people with abnormal protein metabolism and renal dysfunction should not eat more. They may consider using mixed beans with slightly lower protein content. (such as red beans, mung beans, etc.) instead.
3. Eat it when cooked. Not only black beans and soybeans, but other beans also need to be cooked, because beans often contain a variety of anti-nutrients, and eating them raw is not conducive to nutrient absorption and utilization, and may even cause reactions such as bloating and diarrhea. To learn more about ways to remove antinutrients from food, see A Week of Healthy Breakfast (95) – Why You Can’t Eat Certain Foods.
4. Eat with the skin. A considerable part of the nutrition of black beans, which may be the part that most people are particularly short of now, is located in the seed coat, especially the anthocyanins, which are the main antioxidants. Removing the seed coat will lose most of the anthocyanins. Therefore, black bean milk without filtering residue, fried black beans without additives, and cooked black beans with skin are the most nutritious. Although the process of making black bean tofu, bean curd and dried bean curd is rich in protein, it will lose a lot of antioxidants and dietary fiber. In some supermarket foods, such as black bean tofu, black bean sprouts, etc., the word "black" is a gimmick at best. The dietary fiber is very low and the anthocyanins are almost gone.
5. Do not equate processed black bean snacks/snacks with black bean foods. Black beans, soybeans and other soybeans can be made into delicious snacks or snacks (such as fried black beans and various flavors of dried tofu) after being processed with sugar, oil, additives, etc., which are delicious but harmful.
4. Healthy breakfast for a week
Let’s continue the breakfast series. Food and Heart will introduce several breakfast options that can provide us with A quick breakfast that provides calories while protecting the flora, for your reference.
Day 1.? Lactobacillus baked buns + yogurt + eggs + peanuts + pears
Day 2.? Rye bread + red cabbage yogurt + cheese + Walnuts + Peaches
Day 3.? Steamed yam + banana yogurt smoothie + eggs + walnuts
Day 4.? Grilled naan + yogurt + black beans + walnuts + nectarines + roses
Day 5.? Lactobacillus whole-wheat cake + yogurt + eggs + almonds + oranges
Day 6.? Zongzi + yogurt + sea duck eggs + walnuts + cranberries< /p>
Day 7.? Bread + yogurt + green beans + walnuts + beets + peaches
Serious friends may find that there are quite a few of these breakfasts ***The same thing, mainly essential protein foods (yoghurt, smoothie, eggs, sea duck eggs, black beans, green beans and cheese), staple foods (bread, lactobacillus baked buns, lactobacillus cakes, grilled naan, yam and rice dumplings), Fruits and vegetables (peaches, oranges, cranberries, nectarines, pears, bananas and red cabbage), nuts (walnuts, almonds and peanuts). Protein strengthens your body's immunity, carbohydrates provide fuel for your brain, and crude fiber allows your intestinal bacteria to enjoy highly diverse living conditions. Tip: Yogurt is best if you make it yourself. I won’t buy any additives (including sugar). If you want some sweetness, add a little red beet. The color and taste are amazing. In addition to yogurt, you can also use homemade fermented multigrain porridge or five-grain soy milk instead, but at the same time, you can reduce the intake of staple food and increase the intake of protein. Food and Heart All the yogurt used is homemade NS8 yogurt.
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