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BROAD BEANS - GREEN BEANS Benefits:
Be Aware - Adverse Effects
Broad beans are nutritious, filling, and inexpensive and can be a useful low-fat, high-fibre component of any balanced diet. The shelled beans provide beta carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A, and also contains some iron, niacin, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. A small (100 gram) portion supplies more than a quarter of the daily requirement of phosphorus which, among other functions, helps to maintain healthy bones and teeth. The beans are also high in soluble fibre which can help lower blood cholesterol levels. Like other pulses, broad beans are a source of protein and, when combined with cereal foods such as pasta and rice, the quality of the protein supplied is equivalent to that from animal sources such as meat or eggs. Fresh beans which are pale green or creamy white are at their best in late winter, spring and early summer. Their pods should be crisp and bright green; brown patches indicate rot. Young beans, no thicker than a finger, with pods around 7.5 cm long are the most delicious and can be eaten raw, cooked and eaten in their entirety. Mature broad beans with pods up to 30 cm long must be shelled before cooking. The beans may be eaten hot or cold - puréed broad beans, with their outer tough skin removed, make an enriching thickener for soups and stews. Freezing does not greatly affect the nutrients in broad beans but the canning process tends to destroy their Vitamin C. Dried beans should be soaked for seven or eight hours, and rinsed thoroughly before being boiled for 40 minutes until soft. Before use pop them out of the tough skins by squeezing them gently between your thumb and forefinger. Long cooking reduces the content of indigestible sugars in dried broad beans, and therefore minimises flatulence - seasonings such as ginger, fennel, bay or cumin also help to prevent intestinal wind. Warning Susceptibility to favism is a genetically inherited enzyme deficiency quite common in Mediterranean countries. It makes some people develop a severe anaemic reaction to vicine, a toxic substance found in broad beans. People who are taking any of a group of antidepressant drugs known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are warned by their doctors to exclude broad beans from their diet as the combination of beans and these drugs can produce a dramatic rise in blood pressure called a hypertensive crisis. Other foods which can produce the same reaction include yeast extracts, cheese, bananas, pickled herring, and also wine. |