Beans for Your Heart

Remember Lord Fiber from Week 6? I wonder if you’ve asked him back into your life. We learned that fiber protects our system from needing to make too much insulin at once, which protects us from diabetes. Unfortunately, most Americans are getting only half of the fiber they need. Most Americans are also dying from heart disease more than any other cause. “Coronary Artery Disease is the most common type of heart disease. It’s the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.” (1) Is there a connection? Can fiber help here too?

Studies show that plaque build-up in the arteries eventually causes blockage, just like the kitchen sink sometimes gets plugged up with food in the drain. When this happens blood cannot get through to the heart to provide the needed oxygen. Complete blockage results in heart attack, damage, and sometimes death. Soluble fiber has the wonderful job of collecting cholesterol in the blood that would otherwise end up sticking to the walls of the arteries as plaque.

Eating just 21 grams of fiber each day lowers your risk of this kind of plaque build up and blockage by 15%. (2) So foods should you eat more of? As always, fruits and vegetables are what you need, and beans are some of the best sources of fiber in that group. The American Heart Association lists these foods as excellent sources of soluble fiber: oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. One apple or cup of oatmeal has 3 grams of fiber, an orange 4.3, a pear 6.5, and if you can find guava, 1 c. gives 8.9 grams. On the vegetable side, 1 c. of baked beans provides 10 grams, or almost half of your daily need. (3)

As an added bonus, beans are also a great source of protein, especially when paired with a whole grain like brown rice. One cup of kidney beans provides a whopping 30% of your recommended daily allowance for protein in addition to almost half of the fiber, while meat has protein but no fiber at all. (4) Besides the fiber and protein, they also have virtually no fat, making them a triple crown win. So in review, beans = soluble fiber = less cholesterol build-up = a healthy heart + fat free, inexpensive protein. I know a good deal when I see one. Do you see it?

Happily singing the praises of beans at Orange Tree Lane,

Molly
Test Cook and Researcher for Orange Tree Lane

PS- (Did I mention that beans are dirt cheap, versatile, and easy to cook with?)

For research when you a few extra moments:
(1) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Cad/CAD_WhatIs.html (2) & (4) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=87 (3) http://dietaryfiberguide.com/high-fiber-foods/best-dietary-fiber-sources-vegetables/
http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1236979840760CAUSES_DEATH.pdf
http://www.healthcastle.com/fiber_weight_diet.shtml