Kidney Beans Benefits

Kidney beans have many health benefits. They are versatile, which means you can find a way to add them to almost any lunch or dinner. Most importantly, kidney beans are full of many of the vitamins and nutrients that are crucial to a healthy diet.

Protein

• Pound for pound, kidney beans are a better source of protein than any kind of meat. Protein is important for building and maintaining strong healthy muscles. Vegetarians find it especially hard to get the recommended amount of protein, so adding kidney beans to their diet is one of the best things they can do.

Fiber

• Kidney beans are a great source of fiber. Fiber is the indigestible part of food that promotes regular bowel movements. Since it is indigestible, it is able to go straight through the digestive tract, while pushing other digested food through. Fiber is also effective in lowering cholesterol and regulating blood sugar.

Iron

• Iron is mainly responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. The more oxygen you have flowing through your muscles and brain, the more alert and energetic you will feel. Low iron can lead to headaches, lethargy, irritability and even anemia. Women are especially susceptible to low iron due to a large loss of blood from the menstrual cycle.

B Vitamins

• Kidney beans are rich in vitamins B-1, B-6 and B-9. These vitamins naturally help improve memory and boost your immune system. They also greatly reduce the risk of heart strokes. It is important for pregnant women to get plenty of these vitamins because they build strong neural tube formations in the fetus.

Antioxidants

• Adding kidney beans to your daily diet can lower the chances of getting diabetes and certain types of cancer. When consumed daily, these beans give you a large dose of antioxidants that fight against potentially-fatal diseases. Antioxidants also help fight less serious illnesses, and speed up illness recovery time.