Everything You Need to Know About Beans

For thousands of years, civilization depended upon beans as a major part of its diet. Even when other food sources failed, beans were always there to keep them going. The human body adapted to surviving on beans, and thrives best when it returns to this basic food group. Every major body system depends upon beans for a healthy existence. The goodness of beans includes close relatives of the bean family, peas and lintels, known collectively as LEGUMES.

EATING BEANS makes for healthy bodies in these 9 important areas: CIRCULATION SYSTEM, DIGESTION SYSTEM AND CANCER, OTHER CANCERS, DIABETES, OSTEOPOROSIS, WEIGHT CONTROL, BLOOD, and a MISCELLANEOUS group for everything else.

APPENDICITIS: Food waste stuck in an intestine sac and becoming infected.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS: Disease where fatty deposits clog blood vessels. See PLATELET.

B VITAMINS: Beans have B VITAMINS; folic acid, niacin, pyridoxine and thiamine.

BEANS: A vegetable group that belongs to the LEGUME family. Benefits from eating beans include Dry or Fresh BEANS, PEAS or LINTELS; collectively know as LEGUMES.

BLOOD: Beans promote healthy blood. See CHOLESTEROL, CLOTTING, IRON, MINERALS, POTASSIUM and SODIUM.

BREAST CANCER: See OTHER CANCERS.

CALORIES: Beans have less calories, 200 calories per cup, than a lean hamburger.

CANCER: Beans protect the digestive tract from cancer because bean fibers absorb and dilutes toxic waste, and moves digested meat and fat through the digestive system.

CIRCULATION SYSTEM: Though the reasons are not well understood, eating beans is essential to good blood circulation. See ATHEROSCLEROSIS, HEART ATTACK, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, PLATELET, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, VARICOSE VEINS.

CHOLESTEROL: Beans have no cholesterol.

CLOTTING: Beans are a source of vitamin K, which controls normal blood clotting.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: Beans are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates.

CONSTIPATION: Beans reduce constipation by softening stools with moist fiber. Beans are more nutritious, cheaper, and better tasting than any laxative.

DEGENERATE DISEASE: Old age problems not caused by a disease. Eating beans delays the onset of degenerate diseases.

DIABETES: Caused by too much BLOOD SUGAR, when the body does not respond to INSULIN or produces too little INSULIN. See INSULIN REBOUND/RELEASE.

DIET: Beans make two to four times the weight and volume of comparable foods, and take longer to digest. This helps you loose weight by filling you up and keeping you full for a longer time so you eat less. Soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol. Insoluble fiber moves fat and digested meat out of the intestines. Beans reduce the amount of insulin released, so the body stores less fat.

DIGESTION SYSTEM: Beans are good for the entire digestive system and protects it from many types of CANCER. See APPENDICITIS, CONSTIPATION, DIVERTICULITIS, DIVERTICULOSIS, FIBER, HIATAL HERNIA, INSOLUBLE/SOLUBLE FIBER and TOXINS.

DIVERTICULITIS/DIVERTICULOSIS: Inflammation of/Sacs in intestines. See FIBER.

EAA, Essential Amino Acids: Beans (like all foods) are short of some EAAs. Eat beans with a complementary protein from the grain, seed or nut groups.

ECOLOGY and ENVIRONMENT: Agriculturally speaking, growing beans is 30 times more efficient than raising beef, and beans do not need refrigeration like beef does. Eating beans is an environmentally friendly decision. Also, beans use less land and require less water than any other protein source.

FAT: Beans are low (1% to 2%) in polyunsaturated fat and are cholesterol-free.

FIBER: Beans have both INSOLUBLE and SOLUBLE FIBERS. The soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol, triglycerides (oat bran does not) and toxins. Insoluble fiber moves fat blobs and digested meat through the intestines. Fibers also reduce APPENDICITIS, CONSTIPATION, DIVERTICULITIS, DIVERTICULOSIS, AND HEMORRHOIDS.

FOOD ALLERGY: Allergy to beans (except FAVA) is rare. Beans are not processed, and do not have additives, flavoring, or preservatives mixed in.

GALL STONES and GOUT: See OSTEOPOROSIS.

HEART ATTACK: Caused when fatty deposits block the heart's blood vessels.

HEMORRHOIDS: Folds of intestine slip out through the anus, usually caused by CONSTIPATION. Bean FIBER helps bowels move stools along and softens them.

HIATAL HERNIA: A pocket of stomach lining protruding into the esophagus.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: May be caused by too much sodium. See POTASSIUM, SODIUM.

HYPOGLYCEMIA (LOW BLOOD SUGAR): See DIABETES.

INSOLUBLE FIBER: Sweeps fat, digested meat and toxins through the digestive tract so they can be expelled from the body.

INSULIN REBOUND: Beans do not trigger excessive insulin release.

INSULIN RELEASE: Beans contain their own enzyme for digestion, and do not need much insulin for digestion. Also, their nourishment takes time to digest, so there is no sudden need for insulin. Insulin allows the body to store fat.

IRON: Beans are a good source of iron. After beans are cooked; add vitamin C in the form of tomatos or citrus juice; so your body will absorb the iron.

KIDNEY STONES: See OSTEOPOROSIS.

LEGUME: A name that includes all the healthy-eating groups of BEANS, LINTELS and PEAS. What is true about BEANS is true for all members of the LEGUME family.

LENTILS: A vegetable group that belongs to the LEGUME family.

MINERALS: Beans are a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Beans also contain boron, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc. Beans are naturally low in sodium and are high in potassium.

MISCELLANEOUS: Reasons to eat beans. See B-VITAMINS, DEGENERATE DISEASE, EAA, ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT, FOOD ALLERGY.

NEGATIVE CALORIES: Beans have a negative calorie effect. Beans take more energy to digest than other foods. In the intestines; soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol and insoluble fiber moves fat and undigested red meat out through the system.

OSTEOPOROSIS: Eating too much protein, over 20% of diet, causes acid urine, which dissolves calcium from the bones. The dissolved calcium and cholesterol combine to cause GALL STONES, GOUT and KIDNEY STONES. Beans have three times more carbohydrate than protein to prevent this, and beans have lots of calcium to keep bones strong. See MINERALS.

OTHER CANCERS: Eating animal protein and NOT eating vegetable fiber (BEANS) is associated with BREAST, PROSTATE, OVARIAN and UTERINE CANCERS.

OVARIAN CANCER: See OTHER CANCERS.

PEAS: A vegetable group that belongs to the LEGUME family.

PLATELET: Beans suppress, in much the same was as aspirin does, platelet (fat globule) production, that blocks the flow through blood vessels.

POTASSIUM: Beans are high in potassium which neutralizes sodium. Sodium raises blood pressure which may start a HEART ATTACK. Beans are low in sodium.

PROSTATE CANCER: See OTHER CANCERS.

PROTEIN: Beans are good, cheap and ergonomic source of protein and EAA. See EAA.

RATIO, CARBOHYDRATE TO PROTEIN: Beans have the ideal 3 to 1 ratio of good food. SODIUM: Beans are low in sodium, high in potassium. Good for fighting HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE and preventing a HEART ATTACK.

SOLUBLE FIBER: Soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol, triglycerides (oat bran does not) and toxins. Then carries them from the body out through the intestines.

TOXINS: Fibers carry toxins through the intestines so they can be expelled.

UTERINE CANCER: See OTHER CANCERS.

VARICOSE VEINS: Are rare among bean eaters.

WEIGHT: A bean rich diet helps you control your hunger and weight. See CALORIES, COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, DIET, FAT, FIBER, NEGATIVE CALORIES, PROTEIN, and RATIO.

Tablet 2: The Bean Commandments

1. And the Lord said to Eve, thou art the mother of all my children. See that they eat beans at least once a day so they may grow strong and healthy and not suffer from sickness and disease. See Above. And the Lord created many kinds of beans so that his children could enjoy them all. See Tablet 3.

2. Do NOT have strange objects in your beans. Cast out broken, discolored and shriveled beans, those with insect holes, stones and other foreign objects.

3. Be prudent. Plan your meals to allow enough time for soaking beans before cooking. Hardest beans require 12 hours soaking; hard beans, 4 hours; soft beans, 4 hours; and softest beans do NOT need soaking. For soaking beans makes them alive. Beans start to grow and increase some nutritional values many fold.

4. Thou shall use pure water for soaking and cooking beans. Do NOT use hard water. Calcium destroys beans nutrient value, as does calcium in molasses.

5. Thou shall NOT use acids (chili sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, tomato, wine or vinegar) for soaking or cooking beans. Acid seals the hole where water enters the bean and keeps the bean from becoming soft. Salt does the same thing.

6. Thou shall NOT use alkali (baking soda) for soaking or cooking beans. It destroys beans nutrition and wastes its minerals.

7. Thou shall NOT discard soaking water. Use it for cooking beans, and serve it with beans; as it contains valuable minerals and nutrients. Do NOT waste it. Use it as a sauce. Thicken it with some pureed beans. Do NOT worry about flatulence. It will diminish in time as the body adjusts to bean eating. You can try; adding a 1/2 tsp ginger to cooking water; OR add a peeled apple or potato to the beans while cooking, discard apple or potato when beans are done cooking.

8. Thou shall cook beans the proper time. See Tablet 4. Older beans require more cooking time than newer beans. While beans are cooking, you may add bay leaf, broth, celery, garlic, mustard, onion, parsley, pepper, and/or spice; but NOT salt, acid, alkali or molasses. Check beans for doneness by pressing a cooked bean against your teeth or the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

9. If thou art pressed for time, use a pressure cooker as shown in Tablet 5.

10. Only after proper cooking time, then you may add anything you want to beans. This is the time to add acid and/or salt based components and molasses.