#2 Powerfood: Beans and Other Legumes
Beans and other legumes include (but are not necessarily limited to): soybeans, chickpeas, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, and lima beans.
These beans help: build muscle, burn fat, and regulate digestion. They fight against obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
This is done with these “secret weapons” fiber, protein, iron and folate.
Sidekicks in this category of food include: lentils, peas, bean dips, hummus and edamame. But don’t fall for the evil imposters: refried beans (which are high in saturated fats) and baked beans (this was one of my favorites growing up, but is high in sugar).
Beans are good for your heart; the more you eat them, the more you… can control your hunger.
Black beans, lima beans, pinto beans, navy beans — you pick it. They’re all low in fat and brimming with protein, fiber and iron. These nutrients are crucial for building muscle and losing weight.
Unfortunately, there are undesired gastrointestinal results side-effects, but they provide strong nutritional benefits.
Try to have a meal laden with beans a couple times a week, instead of meal heavy with meat and you’ll cut out a lot of saturated fat and replace it with more fiber.
I think I am already doing pretty good in this category. For lunch each weekday, my salad includes kidney beans and chickpeas. It also includes green peas.