Kidney beans are a very popular legume because of its great taste, texture and flavor. They are dark red in color and are kidney shaped. Kidney beans are full of potassium, magnesium, iron and protein. Hence, this is a good meat substitute for vegetarians. Kidney beans also have several disease-fighting antioxidants that promote a healthy and strong immunity.
Other names of kidney beans are ‘Rajma‘ in Hindi, ‘Nallachikkudu‘ in Telugu, ‘Sigappu Karamani‘ in Tamil, ‘Capparadavare‘ in Kannada, ‘Barbati Beej‘ in Bengali, ‘Phanasi‘ in Gujarati and ‘Rajma‘ in Punjabi. Owing to its various health benefits, kidney beans are considered to be one of the best legumes for everybody. The top health benefits of kidney beans are explained below:
Kidney beans are loaded with manganese that act as an antioxidant defense (1). This helps to reduce free radicals in mitochondria at the cellular level. This also contains vitamin K that is known to protect your cells from oxidative stress and further reduce the risks of cancer.
Vitamin K is present in abundance that is very beneficial for the brain and nervous system. The myelin sheath requires sphingo-lipids for proper formation. Vitamin K helps in the synthesis of sphingo-lipids that aid in healthy brain and nervous functioning. Kidney beans also contain a good amount of thiamine that is required by the brain cells for cognitive function. This helps to create acetylcholine for memory (2).
Kidney beans contain soluble fiber that helps to decrease the metabolism rate of carbohydrates. This can prevent blood sugar levels from hiking after a meal. Kidney beans are also a good source of protein that lowers blood sugar level (3).
Sulfites are added as a preservative to prepare foods like salads and salad bars. Kidney beans contain good amount of molybdenum that detoxifies sulfites. This is vital for people with sulphite allergies as it helps to lower the symptoms like headache by detoxifying sulphites (4).
Kidney beans have insoluble fiber that is useful to regularize the bowel movements and increase stool. This helps in the fermentation of dietary fiber in our large intestine and maintains good bacteria in the digestive tract. Healthy bowel movements reduce the risk of colon cancer (5).
The high fiber content in kidney beans can lower the cholesterol level (6). The folate in kidney beans can lower the levels of homocysteine that further reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks and vascular diseases. They also contain magnesium that aids in healthy functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Kidney beans are a rich source of iron that increases your energy levels. Iron is also essential for your body’s metabolism and production of energy (7). The manganese content in kidney beans also contributes to the production of energy in your body.
Kidney beans are loaded with protein and can be the best substitute for meat or dairy products. Consume the beans with rice to get complete nutrition (8).
The manganese and calcium content in kidney beans aids in developing stronger bones and thus prevents osteoporosis. Kidney beans contain folate that maintains the level of homocysteine and reduces the risk of bone and hip fractures (9).
Fibernya present in kidney beans produces acid short-chain fatty acids which can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. This helps to lower and prevent bad cholesterol (10).
Kidney beans contain carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. This is useful to prevent the risk for diabetes (11).
The nutrients in kidney beans are useful for the synthesis of DNA and RNA. This can lower the homocysteine level in the arteries and thus reduce the risk of heart disease (12).
Kidney beans help to maintain the metabolism of amino acids, gluconeogenesis, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, fatty acids, lipids and hemoglobin synthesis. Thus, it can be useful in maintaining healthy skin (13).
White kidney beans are a rich source of antioxidants that contain anti-cancer properties (14). Our body produces free radicals as a by-product of cell metabolism. Kidney beans are useful in detoxifying these free radicals and thus reduce the risk of cancer and many chronic diseases.
White kidney beans have both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber (15). This soluble fiber can bind itself with the bile acids in the digestive tract to eliminate it from the body. This is useful to cure bile acids formation in the liver and hence reduces bad cholesterol. Insoluble fiber can help in the prevention of constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.
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