Green Beans: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Green beans may be the simplest of all vegetables. Tender yet crispy, green beans are a delicious veggie that is often served as a side dish. Green beans are sold fresh, canned or frozen. You can eat them raw, steam them, boil them, stir-fry them, or bake them.

Most of the time, they are cooked in soups, stews, and casseroles. Green bean casserole is a dish made with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French-fried onions that is popular in the northern US, especially at Thanksgiving. On the other hand, some like to consume this vegetable as a pickle, and pickling green beans is a lot like pickling cucumbers.

But are green beans nutritious? Read on to find out!

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What are Green Beans and What is Their Nutritional Value?

Green beans come in more than 130 different kinds and are also known as string beans or snap beans. They are full of folic acid and fiber, as well as vitamins A, C, and K. They are good for you in the same way that snap peas and okra are. Farmers pick green beans while they are still in their pods, before the beans have had time to grow up.

Eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk of a lot of negative health conditions. Many studies have shown that eating more plant foods, like green beans, lowers the risk of being overweight, getting diabetes, developing heart disease, and dying in general.

Fruits and vegetables also help keep your skin healthy, give you more energy, and make you weigh less overall.

A standard cup (about 150 grams) of canned snap beans has:

• 28 calories
• 0.55 grams (g) of fat
• 5.66 g of carbohydrate
• 2.6 g of fiber
• 1.94 g of sugar
• 1.42 g of protein

In terms of nutrients, it contains:

• 17 milligrams (mg) of calcium
• 1.2 mg of iron
• 18 mg magnesium
• 30 mg of phosphorus
• 130 mg potassium
• 24 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A
• 52.5 mcg of vitamin K
• 32 mcg of folate

One cup of drained canned snap beans, on the other hand, has 362 micrograms of sodium. Beans that come in a can should be rinsed before being used. Choose fresh or frozen green beans to cook with if you want the most nutrients and the least amount of salt.

Folate, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, magnesium, potassium, and potassium are also present in green beans.

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What are the Benefits of Eating Green Beans?

Green beans contain a lot of chlorophyll. This could negate the cancer-causing effects of heterocyclic amines, which are made when meat is cooked at a high temperature on a grill. People who like their grilled foods to be burned should eat them with green vegetables to lower the risk of health concerns.

Other studies have found a link between a woman's fertility and how much they eat, especially what their iron intake looks like. When you eat foods like tomatoes, bell peppers, or berries that are high in vitamin C with foods that are high in iron, the iron will be absorbed better.

Folic acid is also important during pregnancy to keep the baby from getting neural tube defects. One cup of green beans gives you about 10% of your daily need for folic acid and 6% of your daily need for iron.

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Is Eating Green Beans Everyday Good for you?

Fiber is an important nutrient for many reasons, and green beans are full of it. In particular, soluble fiber may help improve the health of your heart by lowering your LDL cholesterol levels, which is the "bad" cholesterol.

Green beans are full of fiber, which helps keep your digestive system healthy and running well. But if you have a digestive disorder like irritable bowel syndrome, certain types of fiber can make your symptoms worse and cause gas, bloating, and pain in your intestines.

People with IBS and other intestinal problems often feel better when they avoid high FODMAP foods. FODMAPs are carbs that may not be well digested or taken in by the body. Green beans are low in FODMAPs, which means they can help people with digestive problems feel better.

Eating green beans every day could be beneficial for you, although you should also try and include other vegetables in your regular diet.

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What are the Disadvantages of Eating Green Beans?

People who take blood thinners like Coumadin shouldn't change the amount of vitamin K-rich foods they eat abruptly, because vitamin K is a big part of how blood clots.

Moreover, lectins are a type of protein that holds together sugars. They are present in green beans, and they can make it hard for the body to digest food. Beans can have less lectin if they are cooked.

Green beans have phytic acid in them, which can bind to minerals and stop the body from absorbing them. People who don't have enough minerals in their bodies should talk to a doctor before eating more green beans.

When it comes to staying healthy and avoiding diseases, the most important thing is how you eat overall. It is better for your health to eat a variety of foods than to focus on one food as the key to good health.