Beans - America's Forgotten Health Food

A food which was very common in the old days of our country was good old beans. Beans were an important staple in New England, in the Old West and in many rural parts of the countryside. When times were tough, beans were there to offer a very inexpensive source of protein, but as time went by beans have fallen out of favor and out of fashion. Recently beans are undergoing a revival as a full-blown health as medical researchers discover new roles for disease prevention in this old time favorite. One recent study showed that eating beans or lentils at least three times a week may reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston said that there appeared to be a reduced risk of cancer with an increased intake of beans or lentils.

Other food which offer natural anti-cancer compounds include tea, brussels sprouts,beets, onions, sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, apples, tomatoes, green and red peppers, raspberries, black currants and blueberries.

For people with diabetes, eating more beans also gives you the added benefit of an increased intake of soluble fiber which helps lower your cholesterol and more magnesium which can help lower your blood pressure and sugar.

For those who interested in the longer haul – a recently published Asian study which looked at people from very different cultures found that bean consumption – more than any other food was associated with a longer life - And – in addition to that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.

If you are not big on cooking beans on a routine basis, you may want to add them to soup and then again - fall is on the way - and what is better than a hot steaming bowl of chili on a brisk fall day? Find a way to work some healthy beans back into your diet. The benefits of eating more beans may last you a longer lifetime n