KOMPAS.com – We consume quite a lot of green beans every day for a healthy diet.
Chickpeas contain many vitamins including folate. Folate is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects and birth defects in babies, so it is good for pregnant women.
Apart from protein, vitamins C, A, K, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin E and minerals, beans have beneficial properties for the body.
Check out the following benefits of eating beans, quoted from the Healthline and Medical News Today pages.
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1. Prevent cancer
Chickpeas contain high amounts of chlorophyll. Can block the carcinogenic effects of heterocyclic amines produced when grilling meat at high temperatures.
If you prefer charred grilled food you should pair it with green vegetables to reduce the risk, one of which is green beans.
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2. Fertility and pregnancy
According to Harvard Medical School, for women of childbearing age consuming more iron from plant sources such as spinach, beans, pumpkin and chickpeas appears to increase fertility.
Pairing iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods such as tomatoes, peppers, or berries can increase iron absorption.
Adequate folic acid intake is also necessary during pregnancy, to protect the fetus from neural tube defects.
One cup of chickpeas provides about 10 percent of the daily requirement of folic acid and 6 percent of iron.
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4. Overcoming depression
Meeting daily folate needs can also help overcome depression. Adequate folate consumption can prevent excess homocysteine in the body.
Too much homocysteine can stop blood and other nutrients from reaching the brain, and can interfere with the production of the hormones serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood, sleep, and appetite.
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5. Bone health
Adequate vitamin K consumption improves bone health by modifying bone matrix proteins, increasing calcium absorption, and reducing urinary excretion of calcium.
One cup of chickpeas provides 14.4 micrograms of vitamin K, or nearly 20 percent of the daily requirement, 4 percent of a person’s daily requirement for calcium.
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