Looking to Eat Healthy? Try Adding Black Beans to Your Diet!
Although I am not a vegetarian, I must confess that I really don’t enjoy eating meat. Because of this, I am always looking for healthy vegetarian sources of protein.
Recently I discovered just how healthy black beans are! In the past, I had always associated black beans with unhealthy dishes served in Mexican restaurants. To be honest, I had never really considered cooking black beans at home. That is why I was so surprised to learn just how good for you black beans are!
A single cup of black beans provides you with 15 grams of both protein and fiber. Fiber is especially important to those who have hypoglycemia or diabetics because it helps to maintain even blood sugar levels. You are also getting a rich supply of folate, manganese, phosphorous, iron, magnesium and thiamin. With little fat, black beans are a great part of any clean eating plan!
It is very easy to find black bean recipes and some might even surprise you. I recently tried a black bean quinoa salad that was quite simply out of this world. There are also many great black bean soup recipes! Of course, you can always go with the traditional Mexican fare, just be sure to leave out the oil and go light on the cheese and sour cream.
One thing to remember if you are going to give black beans a try is that most canned foods are loaded with Bisphenol A (BPA) which is a toxic chemical. In fact, earlier this year the FDA openly came out and said that they had concerns regarding the safety of BPA, which has been links to cancer and heart disease. To avoid consuming BPA, you should either use dry beans that you cook yourself. Another alternative is to purchase BPA free Eden Organics.