Beans
Beans are the large seeds of certain plants. Originally the term referred only to broad beans, large flat seeds that grow inside the pods of the broad bean plant. Today, a many other types of dried beans have been developed from varieties of the ancient broad bean plant. In North America, people have been eating beans for at least 6000 years. When Christopher Columbus landed in what is now the Bahamas, the natives who lived there introduced him to a diet containing beans. Beans were also among the foods introduced to the Pilgrims by Native Americans when they landed in what is now Massachusetts.
Beans are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and even those who have not yet adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. A diet that consists of 4 to 6 ounces (1 to 1 ½ cups) of beans per day will meet the daily requirement for protein when the beans are combined with rice or another grain. Beans are easily incorporated into many dishes, including, of course, “rice and beans.” Combined, rice and beans provide all of the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein) found in meat. Beans are also excellent as a side dish, in soups and in salads.
Beans come in many varieties. Kidney beans, red beans and pinto beans are among the types of beans used in many rice and bean dishes. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) can be cooked in a variety of tasty ways or made into the spread known as hummus. Lentils and split peas are commonly used in soups. Beans are very popular in vegetarian soup recipes; in fact, there is even a soup known as “15 bean soup” that contains many different kinds of beans. There are countless salad recipes that include beans as well. The popular “three bean salad,” for example, is usually a combination of kidney beans, garbanzo beans and cut green beans that makes a delicious, healthy side dish.
In addition to being a good source of protein, most beans are good sources of essential minerals, including iron, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, calcium, and zinc. Beans also provide the very important B-complex vitamin folate (folic acid). They are high in fiber and low in fat and sodium as well.