Health Habits

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Posts Tagged ‘beans’

Summer Sufferin' Succotash (with Grilled Chicken)

July 18th, 2009

Suferrin’ Succotash! Remember that saying from Sylvester the Cat in the Looney Tunes cartoon? That was pretty much the only time I had heard the word succotash and as a kid I had no idea what it was or meant. Come to find out succotash is food (no wonder why I liked the saying!) The Missus had me believing this dish originated in the South, which would make sense why I had never heard of it, apart from the cartoon. But during my research on what the name means I found out it all began in the Rhode Island area, if you can believe that. The name is taken from the Naragansett Indian word msickquatash, “boiled whole kernels of corn,” from the Narragansett language once spoken on Narragansett Bay, which is present-day Rhode Island.

How ’bout that for research!

Succotash is a dish consisting primarily of corn and Lima beans, though now it’s been adapted all over the states. In the South any mixture of vegetables prepared with Lima beans and mixed with butter is considered a succotash. In Indiana, according to our Hoosier buddies (Indiana people), succotash is made with green beans and corn instead of Lima beans. Bet you didn’t know succotash was so interesting did you?

I happen to really like this succotash idea because I’m a big fan of all the components that are in the dish. Lima beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and have good significant amounts of folate and magnesium, all of which are beneficial for your digestive system and your heart. Corn is chock-a-block full of nutrients including fiber & vitamin C. Speaking of C, the peppers are loaded with it and the red pepper is also a great source of vitamin A. Basically you’re nourishing your body naturally, with a brilliant dinner to boot.

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Beans, beans, the musical fruit

December 4th, 2008

Whatever you want to call them, Beans, Legumes or Pulses are nutritional superstars.

They are a rich source of folic acid
They have low glycemic index / glycemic load ratings
They are loaded with dietary fibre
They are a good vegetarian source of iron
Their Lysine content allows vegetarians to prepare meals with all of the essential amino acids
They are an effective tool against insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
The insoluble high fibre content make them a recognized tool against cancers of the digestive tract.
Their soluble fibre has also be recognized for it’s ability to lower LDL cholesterol.
They promote a feeling of fullness. This may lead to a reduction in calories and weight loss.

But they’re not perfect…

They give you GAS

Beans, as well as such gassy goods as cabbage, soybeans, peas and onions, are naturally sweetened with a family of sugars called oligosaccharides.

These sugars are big, clumsy molecules — too big to slip into your body through the lining of the small intestine.Normally enzymes in the small intestine would rush in and snap these molecules apart like Legos.

But due to a gross oversight, an anti-oligosaccharide enzyme is not standard equipment in a human being.So these complex sugars pass unmolested through the small intestine and enter the large intestine still bearing valuable nutrients.

Unabashed at digging into leftovers, the less reputable bacteria among the 200 strains in your large-intestine start to chow down. Their population grows as they divide into new generations to take advantage of the bounty.

And as they gulp in the big sugars, they let out gas.In essence, your gut accumulates millions of wee bacterial farts.

Nice.

But there is hope out there for those of you who want to reap the benefit of beans without turning yourselves into big, swollen bags of smelly gas.

That help comes in the form of the bean digesting enzyme – alpha-galactosidase.

Otherwise known as…Beano.

Sprinkle a few drops of enzyme on your beans and enjoy.

The enzyme will snap apart those big sugars into handy little sugars, like sucrose, glucose and fructose, your body can use.

The bacteria in your large intestine will go hungry, and your gas will be a thing of the past.

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Beans & the Culinary Arts

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Beans have been a staple in the cooking of cultures all around the world.

Today, a quick search on Amazon turned up 8,816 different books just waiting to show you how to cook with beans.

I would like to recommend some of these to you, but that is a little outside of my area of expertise.

So, I will leave it up to the pros.

In tomorrow’s post, The Healthy Irishman will be serving us a helping of his:

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Lentil Loaf with Spicy Citrus Squash

This is a great recipe to try out on those family members who aren’t very “pro-bean”.

Personally, I am going to try out this recipe over the weekend.

And if my other experiments with Gavan’s recipes are indication, I am fast becoming a cook that doesn’t suck.

Another ringing endorsement!

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If you want further nutritional info on beans, go here.

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