BEANS OR LEGUMES
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© May 2024, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
CONTENTS
III. Beans And The Development Program
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DEFINITION
Beans are a large, important class of foods. There are at least 50 varieties of beans. Some of the more common ones are black beans, garbanzo beans, great northern beans, black-eyed peas, split peas, lentils, myocopa beans, European soldier beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, aduki beans, mung beans, butter beans, and red beans.
Beans are a staple food for many human populations and some animal species. In part, this is because they are easy to grow and are inexpensive. They are often cooked, but may also be eaten sprouted. Most often they are baked, boiled, or fried.
Other names. Beans are also called legumes.
BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION
They are seeds of flowering plants in the Fabaceae family. Most grow above ground in pods. An exception is peanuts, which grow underground.
NUTRITIONAL CONTENT
Beans are high in protein, folate, iron, antioxidants, fiber, and good quality starch.
Beans are considered helpful to prevent cancer, diabetes and a fatty liver. The starch in beans also helps control appetite by giving one a full feeling. They are also helpful for the gut and for heart health.
Fixing nitrogen. Beans are an important agricultural crop because many of them capture nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil. This occurs due to the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
This is very important for soil fertility. Most other plants deplete nitrogen.
A standard farming practice is to rotate crops and include a bean or legume crop in the rotation. For example, a common farming practice is to rotate growing corn and soy beans.
YIN
In the macrobiotic conception of yin and yang aspects of foods, beans are in the middle. However, compared to meat and eggs, beans are a more yin food.
Yin foods are not as good for us today because the bodies are all somewhat yin today. As a result, eating yin foods, which includes beans, raw vegetables and all fruit, tends to unbalance the body and is harmful. This is true no matter what other benefits a food has. For details, read Yang And Yin Healing and Yin Disease.
LOW ETHERIC ENERGY
Beans are considered a low etheric energy food. This is a type of subtle energy found in food. Foods that are higher in etheric energy are cooked vegetables and animal products such as meat, eggs and milk products. For details, read Etheric Energy.
INCOMPLETE PROTEIN
Protein is in the form of amino acids. There are about 20 of them. To be a complete, high quality protein must contain the correct balance of amino acids.
Beans are high in protein. However, the balance of amino acids in beans is not as good as it is in meat, eggs, and fish.
TOXICITY
Beans are a slightly toxic food. See below for details:
- Enzyme inhibitors
Many beans, including soy beans, contain toxic chemicals that are enzyme inhibitors.
- Phytic acid and lectins
These are other toxins found in beans. Boiling the beans helps remove some of the toxins.
DIFFICULT TO DIGEST
Beans contain starches that are not the easiest to digest. This is the reason they tend to cause intestinal gas.
VERY STARCHY
This is a problem mainly because for development one needs to eat plenty of blue corn chips. Eating beans provides so much starch that one may not feel like eating as many blue corn chips.
HIGH PROTEIN
This is a benefit in some ways. However, for development one needs other protein foods such as chicken and some good quality beef. If one eat a lot of beans one may not feel the need or even the ability to eat the protein foods needed for development.
SOMEWHAT SEXY
This may sound unusual. Beans have a slightly stimulating effect on the lower energy centers. This is not helpful for development.
III. BEANS AND THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
For the reasons listed above, beans are not a primary food for development. At this time, we also don't believe they are a necessary food at all.
They fill up your stomach which should be full of the preferred foods such as certain cooked vegetables and the other essential foods for development. To find these, read Food For Daily Use.
We suggest beans as an occasional food only, which means to have a serving no more than twice a week and perhaps skip them entirely.
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