5 Excellent Reasons to Eat Black Beans

Whether you call them black beans, turtle beans, or frijoles negros, these healthy legumes have been a staple in the North American diet for at least 7,000 years according to WebMD. That’s because black beans offer you maximum nutrition with very little fat or sugar. This makes this superfood a go-to in terms of health benefits.

But for anyone who is a fan of Mexican, Latin American, or Caribbean food, you know that black beans are also delicious. Here are five reasons why you should add this tasty food to your diet.

Highly Nutritious

Black beans are chock full of nutritional wellness.  Just one cup contains 15 grams of protein so it is a sustainable food choice for vegetarians or vegans, according to Healthline, and 15 grams of fiber. These beans are also a source of many vitamins and minerals, containing 64 percent of the daily requirement of folate, and high amounts of copper, thiamine, manganese, magnesium, iron, and selenium. These little gems are also a good source of antioxidants

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Full of  Antioxidants

The antioxidants in black beans , help your body to counteract oxidative stress that helps protect you from chronic health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Black beans contain a significant number of polyphenols – especially anthocyanins that give the legume its dark color – and flavonoids  that include catechin, myricetin, kaempferol, and quercetin. It’s  the flavonoids that contain cancer fighting properties. You will reap more benefits by using dried rather than canned black beans.

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Promotes Heart Health

Since the beans are loaded with fiber and does not contain any cholesterol. This superfood helps to support your heart health, according to Medical News Today. Fiber helps to lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood and the vitamins found in the beans could prevent the build-up of homocysteine which can damage blood vessels. The quercetin contained in the black beans also plays a role in the prevention of high cholesterol.

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Good for Diabetics

Diabetics that eat a high fiber diet have lower blood glucose levels and black beans certainly fits the bill because of the high fiber content. A 2015 study published in the journal Nutrients found the anthocyanins contained in black beans helps boost insulin sensitivity that could lead to lower blood sugar levels. Black beans are also good for diabetics because unlike other carbs, the beans do not cause a spike in blood sugar, according to WebMD. These are good reasons to add black beans to your diet.

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Helps Eye Health

The flavonoid antioxidants in black beans could also protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. According to a Marano Eye Care blog. The zinc contained in the superfood also helps to protect your eyes from sun damage.