Its winter, time to pull out the "one size bigger and baggier" clothes. The holidays are coming along with lots of sugar and a bigger waistline.
However, having a larger waist (over 34 inches for women) and (over 39 for men) increases your chances of chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Trying to trim your waistline is difficult, especially in the winter months when we tend to crave simple carbohydrates and comfort food, but what can you do?
Help is here! There is one super food that is high in antioxidants, fiber and protein, that when added to a healthy diet helps to trim the waistline. That super food is beans.
In fact, a recent study showed those individuals who eat beans were not only slimmer in the waist but also 7lbs lighter than those people who avoided eating beans. The study showed also those who ate beans consumed and average of 200 calories more a day more than the non-bean eaters.
What is in beans that helps them assist in keeping us trim and why is it better to replace red meat with beans?
First, the daily recommended dose of fiber for adult women are (21-25 grams) and adult men (30-38 grams.) One cup of beans has 12 grams of fiber. Red meat has none.
The beans are digested much slower because of the fiber content. Unlike red meat which digests quickly, beans give you get less of an insulin spike which prevents you from being hungry more quickly.
Beans also are full of plant base antioxidants that help fight free radicals. According to the Oxford dictionary, free radicals can damage tissues and delicate cell membranes. They can also damage DNA, disrupting our store of inherited information; this may lead to the initiation of certain cancers.
A study done by the Department of Agriculture measuring antioxidant levels of 100 top common foods showed beans in the top four. Those beans were, red beans, red kidney beans and pinto beans. Black beans, black-eyed peas and navy beans made it to the top 40.
It is no wonder that beans have been labeled the "perfect food."
So take a challenge, start now by eating 1-3 cups of beans three times a week in replacement of red meat. Avoid those beans canned with sugar or lard and see a trimmer, healthier you by Christmas.
Healthy bean recipes:
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2011/10/bean-recipes-slideshow#slide=1
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_bean_recipes
Having a hard time digesting beans..try this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beano_(dietary_supplement)
