Green beans as a valuable food product: composition and calorie content, the main useful properties of the product, important contraindications for use. How to cook green beans at home. The beneficial properties of unripe beans are often used in the treatment and maintenance of the body for certain diseases, as well as during gestation and during breastfeeding. So, green beans are useful in the following cases:
- Oncology … Scientists have proven that the benefits of green beans are also manifested in stimulating the immune system, preventing the risk of cancer. The anticarcinogenic substances they contain help cells to fight against the development of tumors, and also slow down their growth. Doctors give individual recommendations on the introduction of green beans into the diet for people living in areas contaminated with radionuclides or exposed to radiation in connection with their professional activities. This is justified by the property of the product to remove radioactive isotopes and heavy metals from the body.
- Diabetes … Benefits of beans include their ability to lower blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes.
- Avitaminosis and nutritional deficiencies … Unripe beans were recommended to be eaten by patients with vitamin deficiency, rickets, scurvy, dystrophy. Nowadays, such recommendations are given to people with increased mental or strength loads, as well as athletes, because The calorie content of green beans and the nutritional composition significantly help to restore strength and balance of nutrients in the body.
- Pregnancy and lactation … Folic acid, which is an essential component of green beans, is very beneficial for the female body. In combination with B vitamins, it contributes to the correct development of the fetus, strengthens the heart of the child. Beans need to be included in the diet not only for pregnant women, but also for nursing mothers, because they are a good source of iron, which is essential for maintaining optimal hemoglobin levels. It is also believed that the ingredients in green beans may help relieve symptoms of the menstrual cycle and menopause in women.
Harm and contraindications to the use of unripe beans
Everything, even the most healthy foods, can have contraindications, and green beans are no exception.
It is not recommended to consume unripe legumes in any form in the following cases:
- With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract … The use of beans can lead to the accumulation of gases in the intestines, flatulence, so they are not recommended for use in diseases of the pancreas, gout, colitis, constipation, hepatitis.
- In old age … It is known that all processes in the body gradually slow down with age. So, in older people, the digestion of food slows down, therefore, the use of unripe legumes leads to some disturbances in the functioning of the digestive organs.
- Under the age of 3 … At this age, the digestive system is not yet developed enough to digest complex foods.
Study the packaging very carefully, follow the instructions for preparation. Dried beans must be thoroughly cooked as they are they may contain toxins that can cause poisoning.
Green Bean Recipes
Due to their properties, green beans are widely used in cooking. They are used as a side dish, in salads, soups and as a separate dish. In some countries, the beans are made into flour and used to bake bread. Special preference for this culture is given by the Belgians, Danes, Bulgarians, the Dutch and the British also actively use it. Green beans occupy a significant place in traditional and national dishes, which is why they can be found in any supermarket.
We offer several recipes for green beans in compliance with all the rules:
- Hercules salad … A very simple recipe for a nutritious and healthy salad that can be prepared in just a couple of minutes. The main ingredients are fresh green beans, frozen or boiled (200 g), red bell pepper (1-2 pcs.), Hard cheese (100 g), dill and parsley, yogurt or sour cream (1-2 tablespoons) … The method of preparation is extremely simple: grate the cheese, cut the pepper into cubes, chop the herbs, put all the ingredients in a form suitable for salad and season with yogurt. A snack from such a dish will leave you feeling full for a long time and fill you with energy.
- Soup with potatoes and green beans … For it you will need ingredients such as turkey or other poultry fillet (200 g), potatoes (2-4 pieces of medium size), onions (1 piece), carrots (1 piece), fresh or frozen green beans (50 d), water (1 l), dill, parsley, fennel to taste, salt, black pepper, bay leaf. Cooking method: peel the onions and carrots, grate and bring to half-cooked in a pan. Add the fillet cut into cubes there. Fry everything until golden brown. Transfer the resulting mass to a saucepan and add water. Peel the potatoes, chop in the classic way, put in a saucepan. Then beans and salt are added. The mass is brought to a boil. Cooking time - 10-15 minutes over low heat. After that, herbs and spices, cut along with the stems, are added to the soup to taste. Before serving, you can put a piece of butter on the plate in portions, this will give the soup a more delicate and rich taste.
- Vegetable stew with beans in a slow cooker … To prepare stews, you can add almost any component from the category of vegetables, depending on preferences, seasonal conditions. This recipe is more versatile. The ingredients are as follows: peeled green beans (50 g), sweet potatoes or potatoes (2-3 pcs.), Onions (1 pc.), Carrots (1 pc.), Bulgarian red pepper (1-2 pcs.), White cabbage, Brussels sprouts or broccoli (200 g), eggplant (1 pc.), tomatoes (1-2 pcs.), spices (salt pepper, various types of peppers and mixtures of herbs, garlic), water (250 ml). Cooking in a multicooker is a fairly simple process. Vegetables are washed, peeled, cut into cubes. White cabbage is chopped, cauliflower is divided into elements. A little vegetable oil is poured into the bottom. Onions and carrots must be placed in the first layer. All other vegetables can be placed in any order. Sprinkle the whole mass with spices and fill it with water. Cooking should be on the "Braising" function for 60 minutes. Due to the lack of frying, the dish turns out to be more useful.
Interesting facts about green beans
Green beans are quite nutritious and low in calories. But it is worth noting that, despite this, dishes made from them are not dietary, because grains are digested for a rather long time - more than 4 hours. And this, in turn, can be the cause of unwanted fermentation processes in the intestine.
Unripe fruits are valued more because during ripening and long-term storage, the sugar contained in green beans turns into starch.
There are several subtleties in using this food product:
- Dry beans must be heat treated.
- It is advisable to store them in the refrigerator for no more than two days, otherwise they will lose their properties and appearance.
- Green beans lend themselves well to freezing and are widely used canned.
- Before use, it is necessary to cut off the ends and remove the fibers, pour over with boiling water or boil, keeping the green color.
- If the recipe requires the beans to boil, then it is advisable to soak them in hot water for an hour or two before cooking.
- Even if there are no individual contraindications to the use of green beans, nevertheless, dill or fennel should be used in the preparation in order to reduce fermentation in the intestines.
There was a special relationship to green beans in ancient Greece. So, representatives of the local nobility, including Pythagoras, categorically did not eat unripe beans, believing that they could dull thinking and cause insomnia. Although at one time the famous Greek Dioscorides used a decoction of unripe beans as a medicine for intestinal diseases.
How to cook green beans - watch the video:
Green beans are incredibly healthy food. They are used not only for feed and industrial purposes, but also in folk medicine. To do this, collect the flowers of the fruit, seeds and directly the beans themselves of varying degrees of maturity. Tinctures, powders, lotions are made from them.
