by Beans make a great addition to winter soups, salads and other dishes – and new research shows that eating more of them could also significantly improve the quality of your diet.
Analyzing data from over 44,000 participants, researchers found that increasing bean consumption could increase a person’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score, a common measure of how nutritious a person’s diet is.
According to the data, beans help a person “[increase] intake of ‘deficiency’ nutrients such as dietary fibre, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline in the diet, as well as [reduce] consumption of ‘watch’ nutrients such as sodium, added sugars, and solid (or saturated) fats,” study author Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, said Health.
The research was presented at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota in early October. The study was funded by Cannedbeans.org on behalf of Bush’s Best and the Coalition to Advance Pulses.
Despite beans being a well-known source of plant-based protein and other nutrients, as many as 80% of American adults are not meeting the recommended intake for legumes such as beans, peas and lentils.
Here’s what experts had to say about why beans can have such a beneficial effect on diet quality, as well as the best ways to increase your bean consumption.
Previous evidence has shown that legume intake is associated with reduced all-cause mortality and heart disease risk, and this latest study may provide a deeper understanding of why.
This research examined data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between the years 2001 and 2018. This data came from 23,554 participants between the ages of 19 and 50, and an additional 21,020 participants at the age of 51 or older. . All participants completed a 24-hour dietary recall survey, which the researchers then measured against the US Department of Agriculture’s IAO standards.
Specifically, they looked at participants’ intake of beans, including canned or non-canned (including dried) chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans, or black beans.
Researchers then determined how ‘deficient’ nutrient intake, or those not typically eaten in American diets, might change if participants added one or two additional servings of beans (1/2 cup or 1 cup of cooked beans, respectively rather) with their diets. . In this particular study, the researchers assessed levels of dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline.
“This was a study of dietary pattern modeling,” Slavin explained. “Using the NHANES data set, we could model the improvements that could be made by increasing bean consumption to recommended levels.”
Increased intake of beans was associated with significant increases in intake of a scarce nutrient.
And the Higher Education Institutions scores also improved overall. People saw a 15-16% improvement in the quality of their diet when they added one serving of beans to their diet, and those scores were 19-20% higher when people added two servings. These HEI score improvements likely reduced participants’ risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
In addition to increasing nutrient intake and diet quality, adding more beans to a person’s diet also increased caloric intake, as well as sodium intake.
Despite the results of the study, there are some limitations to keep in mind. For one, data obtained from 24-hour dietary recalls may be inaccurate or biased, since they rely solely on participant memory.
Additionally, “as a modeling study, we had no results on the effect of eating too many beans, or very high amounts of them, in the diet,” Slavin said.
These limitations—and the fact that the study was funded by Bush’s Brothers & Company and the Alliance for the Advancement of Pulses—mean that more research is needed.
Despite its limitations, “this study confirms what most dietitians already know: beans are an excellent food to incorporate into your healthy eating plan and are likely to promote tangible health benefits such as lowered cholesterol levels, increased fiber intake, and improved blood sugar levels,” said Katy Wilbur, RD, LDN, clinical dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Medical Center Tufts Health.
Aside from the deficient nutrients mentioned in the study (fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline), beans are also an excellent source of protein, calcium, and phosphorus. They are a “nutritional powerhouse,” Wilbur said.
“Adding one serving of animal protein to a serving of beans can increase your fiber intake to help with gut and heart health, increase your vitamin and mineral intake, reduce your cholesterol and saturated fat intake, and likely that will save money on your grocery bill,” she added.
However, these legumes cause problems for some people. The high fiber content of beans can make it challenging to digest, leading to gas or bloating, explained Wilbur.
But for those who don’t complain of gastrointestinal discomfort after eating beans, there is no shortage of ways to enjoy them at home.
Beans are usually bought canned or dried – and it doesn’t matter which option you choose.
“Although canned beans may have additives and preservatives, such as salt, calcium chloride, sugar, or flavorings, canned and dried beans have very similar nutritional profiles,” Wilbur said. It’s also an added bonus that both options are relatively cheap.
“If you’re concerned about the sodium in canned beans, there are low-salt versions available,” Slavin also offered.
Canned and dried beans (once cooked) can easily be added to salads, soups, pasta, rice dishes, chilis, and casseroles.
Easy swaps that could be made to increase your bean intake include “snacking on dried chickpeas instead of crackers, or using hummus instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich,” suggested Wilbur.
