While on a recent quest to find easy and quick recipes for my daily office lunches, I came across a dish on the Zoe app that married beans and artichokes in a delicious lemony sauce. Not only did it take just 10 minutes to make (sold), according to the app–which is brimming with recipes designed to promote good gut health–it is also one of the best meals I can make for a thriving microbiome. And much of that was due to the beans.
Beans, beans good for your heart, the more you eat… the better your gut bacteria balance, heart health and general wellbeing. As part of the legume family, which also includes peas and lentils, beans–butter, kidney, soy, cannellini, and others–are some of the healthiest and most affordable foods available to us, but according to Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of Zoe and the author of Food For Life, they’re “underrated”.
“They’re relatively affordable, widely available, and when bought in cans or dried, last a long time,” he says. “Although some people might frown on canned beans, there’s nothing wrong with the beans themselves. They’re usually picked, dried, and canned at the source, so retain most of their nutrients and make a delicious addition to meals.”
Let’s explore how, shall we?
Why are beans so good for us?
“Beans have a fantastic nutritional profile,” agrees Rhian Stephenson, a nutritionist, naturopath and the founder of Artah. “They’re a great source of plant-based protein, ranging from 12 to 16 grams of protein per cup, and provide vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, various B vitamins, zinc, manganese, selenium, potassium, as well as being a great source of folate.” If that’s not enough, they’re also packed with phytonutrients (including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and anthocyanin), which have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, hypoglycaemic, and cardio-protective properties, and polyphenols–“a type of antioxidant that feed your gut bacteria,” says Professor Spector.
They’re also rich in fiber
They’re also rich in fiber, providing around 15 grams of fiber per cup. And fiber serves as “primary fuel for the gut microbiome, supporting a thriving, diverse population of bacteria,” Professor Spector says. When our bacteria are fed fiber, they metabolize it, producing beneficial compounds called short chain fatty acids, which boast a number of positive properties. “They’re anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-carcinogenic, neuroprotective, and are also involved in our immune response,” explains Stephenson. “When we lack fiber in our diet, our microbes essentially go hungry, so they turn to the mucous membrane of the gut for fuel.”