Beans: 5 reasons to eat them

28th Mar 2024

Beans can improve cholesterol, heart health and gut health thanks to their fibre, B vitamins and polyphenols. Add them to at least one meal daily!

Key points

• Source of
• Health benefits
• How much? 
• More reasons to eat beans
• Ways to enjoy

Source of

To your plate, beans add:

• Essential vitamins and minerals – especially B vitamins, iron, zinc and magnesium.
• Fibre –Adding them to your plate can help you meet your fibre recommendations. They also add one plant point to your week.
• Protein – They’re especially rich in the amino acid lysine, which complements the lower levels in cereals.
• Polyphenols – particularly flavonoids and phenolic acids, which have potent antioxidant properties.

Mix it up! Each bean brings different types of polyphenols. For example, black beans were observed to contain primarily malvidin, petunidin and delphinidin, whereas the main flavonoids in kidney beans were quercetin and kaempferol.

Health benefits

Eating beans and lentils daily is linked to better health in several studies:

• Heart health – Lower levels of LDL cholesterol and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Cancer prevention – A lower risk of colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and a 49% lower risk of cancer mortality.
• Longevity – A lower risk of mortality from all causes.
• Gut health – Small trials found that adding whole pinto beans and chickpeas to people’s diets improved the composition of their gut microbiota.

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How much? 

Aim for 1-2 portions of beans, lentils or peas on most days. One portion (80g) is about 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked beans like haricot, kidney or chickpeas.

More reasons to eat beans

Beans are not only good for you, they’re also practical in many ways:

• Environmentally friendly: Beans and pulses enrich the soil with nitrogen, helping other plants grow. They promote biodiversity when used for intercropping and help keep pests and diseases in check. Plus, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting the need for fertilisers.
• Budget-friendly: One of the most affordable protein sources available, with a can of beans often costing less than £1.
• Quick to use: Canned beans are pre-cooked and ready to go, perfect for busy days.
• Long-lasting: Both dried and canned beans have a long shelf life, so you can stock up and keep them on hand whenever you need them.
• Steeped in tradition: They have been a favourite for over 8,000 years, featuring in dishes passed down through generations. Across the world, they’re part of cherished recipes like Brazilian Feijoada, Egyptian Ful Medames, Italian Minestrone, and French Cassoulet.

Ways to enjoy

Beans soak up all the flavours from the ingredients they’re cooked with and have a naturally creamy texture that’s so satisfying to bite into. We enjoy beans:

• For breakfast, in a stew with seasonal veggies, aromatics and topped with fresh herbs, feta or an egg.
• As a snack, roasted with spices or in a dip.
• Mixed with grains and pasta sauces.
• In soups, blended or whole.