Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit....

the more you eat the more you toot!

I made a yummy bean salad today for lunch and naturally wanted to share the recipe and nutritional facts with my readers.





Nutritional benefits of beans

Beans are a water-soluble fiber which form gels that provide beneficial effects including:
* Slow stomach emptying which contributes to fullness and decreased appetite.
* This delayed stomach emptying slows the absorption of carbohydrates which reduces after-meal blood sugar spikes (this helps regulate blood sugar especially those who have diabetes)
* Binds to fatty acids
* Lowers LDL (bad)cholesterol

Beans are a complex carbohydrates (a.k.a.good carbs), which take longer for the body to digest keeping you fuller longer. Because of its complex chain form, your digestive enzymes have to work much harder to access the bonds to break the chain into individual sugars for absorption through the intestines. Because of that, the digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer. The slow absorption of sugars provides you with a steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and stored.



Beans are a great alternative to animal-based protein and they sure measure up to a beef steak. A 50 g piece of beef steak provides 14.5 g of protein while 1 cup of red kidney beans provides 15.3 g of protein minus the saturated fat from the steak. Not bad for this magical fruit!

Beans provide 3.6 - 5.2 mg of iron per 1 cup. When iron is low, red blood cells can’t carry enough oxygen to the body’s tissues, causing fatigue.


Easy peasy Bean Salad



1/2 can romano beans strained and rinsed (or dried beans-rinsed, soaked overnight,picked through and bowled until tender)

1 small finely chopped sliced red onion

3 large red leaf lettuce; washed

1 cup thinly sliced radicchio

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Lay red leaf lettuce in single serving salad bowl.

Throw the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and toss.

Place bean/radicchio mixture on lettuce and serve.
Easy peasy!

Guilt-free Chocolate: Cacao

Finally there is hope for chocoholics everywhere! A nutritious and delicious, guilt-free snack. Introducing the Cacao Bean.....

"People always ask me what I eat. Raw, organic Cacao Beans are the primary food in my diet. They have inspired me to eat less and live more. Cacao Beans are truly the food of the gods, the best food ever!" -- David Wolfe, author of Eating for Beauty, The Sunfood Diet Success System and others

What is Cacao?
Cacao is the seed of a fruit of an Amazonian tree that was brought to Central America during or before the time of the Olmecs. In 1753 Carl von Linnaeus, the 18th-century Swedish scientist, thought that cacao was so important that he named the tree: Theobroma Cacao, which means "Cacao, the food of the gods."

What's all the hype about?
Until you've tasted the Cacao Bean or Nib (a peeled cacao bean) you really don't know what you've been missing. Not only is it delicious, the raw cacao bean is one of nature's Superfoods offering the highest source of Magnesium than any other food. Magnesium builds strong bones, balances brain chemistry, supports the cardiovascular and digestive systems and is associated with happiness. Need more reasons to eat raw cacao? These little pearls of Nature are great sources of Iron, Vitamin C, Chromium (helps balance blood sugar), Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical), Theobromine (Your heart's helper), Antioxidants (the immunity boosters) and a bunch more of Vitamins, Minerals and EFA's you probably never heard of. For the weight conscious person out there you'll be relieved to know that raw cacao beans contain no sugar and between 12% and 50% fat depending on variety and growth conditions. Cacao is actually one of the great weight loss foods because within its extraordinary nutrition profile it contains the minerals and molecules that shut off the appetite. You read correctly, it shuts off your appetite! It doesn't get any better than this!


My favourite brand: Sunfood Nutrition Cacao Beans and Cacao Nibs

* Raw and Organic: This is a 100% raw product that is Certified Organic by Skal International.
* Sunfood cacao beans are around 40% fat content (low compared to other nuts).
* Low Microbe Count: Any foreign microbe/bacteria activity is virtually nonexistent on the skin and inner nib because of the exceptional processing standards in which these beans undergo. This is rare feature considering that cacao beans come from a moist and slimy fruit grown in a humid atmosphere where bacteria thrive. No other cacao bean sources can claim this safety feature. Other Cacao beans and nibs available on the world market are typically heated, fumigated, conventionally-grown and are contaminated by bacteria and fungus.
* No Roasting = High Flavor and nutrient-dense
* Low Acid levels

Where to buy:

www.Sunfood.com

www.Upayanaturals.com

The Big Carrot

Whole Foods

Support local businesses and your community by checking out your local Health Food Store

The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage.

Yummy Whole Foods

Add two or all of these Yummy Whole Foods in your diet and discover the delicious benefits of a Whole Food diet.

Beans - High in iron, great source of fibre and keep you satisfied for hours.
Romano Beans + thinly sliced red onion + extra virgin olive oil + sea salt + freshly ground pepper = The best bean salad EVER (a.k.a. My mother's bean salad recipe)
Raw cashews - High in B Vitamins cashews are my favourite bad-mood busters! Try Raw Cashew Butter on toasted Ezekiel bread drizzled with Agave nectar.....yum!

Kale - This Superfood is high in calcium and B vitamins. Try replacing your boring iceberg lettuce with this delicious leafy green! Tip: if you shifinod the kale it tastes better. I don't know why...it just does.

Avocados - The Vitamin E powerhouse! Avocados are the best fruit source for Vitamin E, an essential vitamin that helps promote heart health. Add it to your smoothie, fruit salad, green salad, squeeze fresh lemon juice on it or just eat it as is. One of Jackson's favourite foods, mine too.

Goji Berries - This Superfood has 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than oranges. Not only are they a tasty snack ( I keep a stash in my purse) they are also a rich source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and E and contain a full complement of protein with 18 amino acids and 21 trace minerals....and frankly, they have a cool name.

Raw Cacao- Not only is it delicious, the raw cacao bean is one of nature's Superfoods offering the highest source of Magnesium than any other food. Magnesium builds strong bones, balances brain chemistry, supports the cardiovascular and digestive systems and is associated with happiness. Need more reasons to eat raw cacao? These little pearls of Nature are great sources of Iron, Vitamin C, Chromium (helps balance blood sugar), Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical), Theobromine (Your heart's helper), Antioxidants (the immunity boosters) and a bunch more of Vitamins, Minerals and EFA's



Quinoa – Known as “the mother of all grains”, quinoa is gluten-free (therefore easily digested) is a natural complete protein (this means that it has all the amino acids). It is rich in magnesium, iron, calcium potassium and copper. Quinoa helps prevent cataracts, heart disease, gallstones, type 2 diabetes and childhood asthma.



Blueberries - Rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C and soluble fiber. Blueberries contain more disease-fighting antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable.



The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage.