5 Health Benefits of Green Beans - Recipes and How to cook

How many times did our mothers tell us that green beans mean health, wealth, and happiness? Are they super healthy and can make us taller? Well, although green beans don’t make us taller directly, they lend us tons of health benefits that no other vegetable can. 

Surely, many of us did not like their taste in our childhood, but we are surely going to embrace them after reading about all the many green beans benefits. Feel sluggish after that heavy dal-roti lunch? Worry about managing your diabetes? Or is it your weight that is going over the bars? Green beans have the answer. 

Today, we’ll learn everything that must be learned about the great green beans – their names, nutrition, benefits, precautions, and a few recipes. Also, we’ll season it with a few fun facts. So, let’s go green.

Know Your Green Beans – Names, Nutrition, and History

Green beans are not native to India. It has its roots in the South American regions where they have been domesticated for thousands of years in Mexico and Peru regions. How did it enter India? No one knows. What is known is that they are nutritious.

Across the world, green beans are known by numerous names, such as:

• French Beans
• Common beans
• String beans
• Snap beans
• Baguio beans

And a few other names. The reason green beans have reached every plate in the world is their rich, nutritious profile. 

Green Beans – nutritional value – 100 grams ^[1]

Low in calories and high in nutrition, such are green beans. And the benefits? Plenty. Let’s have a look.

Green Beans Benefits – A Gift Of Nature

Green beans are mostly water, almost 90%, which gives them their weight loss property. Also, know that not all beans that look green are green beans. There are numerous beans such as cluster beans, broad beans, fava beans, etc., that have similar shapes but are different vegetables. 

Today, around 130 different varieties of green beans are known and grown.

Now, let’s have a look at how green beans benefit our health and help us have a longer lifespan.

1. Green Beans Help In Weight Loss

People always get recommended to fill their plates with lots of colourful vegetables if they aim for weight loss. It is because vegetables contain lots of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds, all of which help in keeping the weight under check. But green beans are a level up.

Firstly, green beans are mostly water and contain very few calories.

100 grams of French beans provide only 25 calories

This prevents one from indulging in overeating. 

Secondly, green beans contain lots of fibre. 100 grams of green beans provide around 4.5 grams of fibre. But why fibre?

Fibre has been promoted for a long as a healthy part of any weight loss recipe. It reduces those extra kilos on your body by regularly promoting bowel movements, preventing constipation, preventing overeating, and enhancing digestive health through its prebiotic content. ^[2]

Several studies observed how green beans helped with obesity, and all of these found green beans to be effective at

• Reducing weight
• Reduced bad cholesterol (LDL) level

So, if you feel that those kilos are going out of your control, take your diet back under your control. 

2. Good and Easy For Digestive System

When the tummy gets troubled, it troubles back by derailing our health and peace. Most digestive issues occur when we eat overly spicy, deep-fried, ultra-processed, highly sugary, or acidic food. But green beans are none of these. 

Green beans are easy to digest, have a low GI, and are considered a low FODMAP food. Low FODMAP foods are known to be easy on the stomach, thereby preventing any gastric disorders. 

Green beans weren’t always green! Earlier, they came in a variety of colours, including purple, yellow, and red. ^[3]

3. Filled with Nutrition

Green beans, although low on calories, contain lots of essential vitamins, minerals, and other essential plant compounds. 

These nutrients and compounds are quite essential for our overall well-being. Skip a single nutrient, and you’ll see your health falling. Talk of the study done on blue zones or the Nun study done on centenarian nuns all highlight one fact – vitamins and minerals are essential to have a long and healthy life. ^[4]

Green beans contain vitamin C

100 grams of green beans contain around 15-20mg of vitamin C. This is around 25% of our daily recommended limit, which is 75mg for women and 90mg for men. Vitamin C is essential for our immunity, skin health, organ health, iron absorption, etc. ^[5]

Green beans contain vitamin A

100 grams of green beans contain around 35mcg of vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for so many reasons. For example, it is one of the few vitamins that are recommended for eye health. It keeps our eyes healthy. Also, vitamin A adds to our immunity, growth, development, etc. ^{[6] [7]}

Othe essential vitamins

Apart from vitamins A and C that green beans contain in high amounts, there are other vitamins that these beans contain too, although in comparatively smaller amounts. For example

• Vitamin B
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

All these vitamins play their own role in health. For example, vitamin B is a group of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, etc.) that add to our healthy skin, immunity, heart health, nerve health, etc. ^[8]

Green beans contain essential plant compounds.

Not many of us value plant compounds as much as we must. They are the silent heroes that must be well recognized and awarded. Green beans offer numerous essential plant compounds, such as-

• Alpha-carotene
• Beta-carotene
• Lutein & Zeaxanthin
• Flavonols such as quercetin
• Chromans
• Glycosides

And many more. 

As we see, green beans are a gem when it comes to micronutrients. 

4. Fills Your Plate With Protein

Vegetables and protein? Rarely do we hear this. Although green beans do not provide us with buckets full of them, they are one of the vegetables that offer high amounts of protein. 

100 grams of green beans offer us 2.5 grams of protein ^[9]

Given this, consuming around 200 grams will serve us 5 grams of protein. 

Protein is not just required by those hitting the gym. It is an essential macronutrient that our bodies use to make hormones, heal wounds, repair cells, etc. 

5. Good For Heart

Our hearts need more care and attention from us than we provide them with. Heart health is a rising concern these days due to the falling diet. We are eating more and more junk, sugary, fried, etc. In such cases, healthcare experts suggest we eat more fruits and vegetables due to their positive impact on heart health. 

Green beans help the heart in many ways. For example

• Their high fibre content is known to be beneficial for the heart due to its cholesterol-lowering properties
• Being low in calories, it prevents us from falling into obesity, which puts pressure on the heart
• Its beneficial plant compounds offer their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to the heart, which thus protects it from cellular damage

The list is long. What we can derive from this is that green beans help the heart. 

Numerous studies have stated that green beans’ consumption helps the heart by improving lipid profile, controlling blood glucose, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and offering the power of numerous essential plant compounds. ^[10]

As we see, green beans truly are a gem. Our nanis and dadis were right when they said that green beans will make us healthier, happier, and wiser. But, before you eat these delicacies, know some risks, precautions, and how to cook them. 

Green Beans – Risks and Precautions

Green beans are super healthy in most cases. However, there are areas where it might create some problems for you. Here are a few things to know before consuming green beans:

• Because green beans contain vitamin K, it might interfere with certain blood-thinning medications. So, if you are on blood-thinning medicines, consult your doctor first
• Green beans contain lectin, which is a protein that binds with carbs and thus causes digestive discomfort. However, cooking French beans can take care of lectin

The wisdom lies in observing your own body whenever introducing a new food to it. If you feel any discomfort, bloating, gas, indigestion, etc., try making the necessary changes. 

How To Cook Green Beans?

Green Beans are one of the simplest veggies to cook. All you need is to not cook in unhealthier ways. Cooking green beans at high temperatures damages its essential nutrients that are heat-sensitive. For example, vitamin C. 

• Do not fry/deep fry green beans at any cost.

This will not only keep it healthier by not having unnecessary fat, but it will also preserve the nutrients.

Now, if you opt for sauteing, blanching, or steaming, try to keep it as quick as possible. Or if you are pressure cooking it, give it a whistle or two. Don’t use any excess fat if your aim is weight loss. 

Green Beans Recipe

Although there are numerous ways you can cook green beans, we will provide you with two recipes that are quick, delicious, and super-nutritious as well. 

Tandoori Green Beans

• Grill/saute your green beans until crisp-tender (You may use cherry tomatoes and a bit of vinegar, too in this process) 
• In a bowl, toss the beans with yoghurt, tandoori masala, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of red chilli powder.

Your beans are ready to eat.

Jeera Beans

• Toss your green beans with olive oil, cumin seeds (jeera), a pinch of turmeric, and salt.
• Roast at 425°F (218°C) for 15-20 minutes or until tender-crisp
• Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander before serving

Surely, you’d want to add more veggies to it while roasting. For example, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc. 

These are just a few ideas to get you started. You may simply blach/steam your green beans and add them to salads, sandwiches, etc. Experiment with different spices and ingredients to create your own unique green bean dishes!

Conclusion

Green beans – a veggie that most of us did not like as a child. But this vegetable deserves much more respect. It has many a name and many a benefit. Also known as common beans, french beans, snap beans, or string beans, these are a true gem of nature.

Green beans offer us tons of benefits ranging from weight loss, heart health, digestive health, or even a bit of protein. There are many nutrients these beans offer. From vitamin A to B, C, K, E, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, carotene, folate, lutein, or zeaxanthin, the list is long. All these green beans benefits make them ‘the vegetable that must be cherished’. 

However, as you consume green beans, know that it might interfere with blood thinning medication due to its vitamin K content. Also, its lectin content might cause digestive discomfort to a few. It is best to observe your body. 

So, are you ready to be a part of the green revolution and make green beans a part of your lives? 

Happy and healthy munching!