多吃豆類的5個理由

多吃豆類的5個理由

Ah, the humble bean. They star in favorite dishes from around the world – cassoulet, feijoada, red beans and rice, pasta e fagioli, the list goes on and on. Beans are as cheap and durable as they are delicious and nutritious; it's no wonder that they've been such an important part of our diets throughout history.

啊，卑微的豆子。他們在全世界最受歡迎的菜肴中擔(dān)當主角——砂鍋泥、feijoada、紅豆和米飯、意大利面和法焦利，名單還很長。豆子既美味又營養(yǎng)，既便宜又耐用;難怪它們在歷史上成為我們飲食中如此重要的一部分。

So if you find yourself with a kitchen stuffed with a stockpile of beans, be grateful. Aside from being one of the greatest comfort foods ever, here's what else the mighty bean has going for it.

所以，如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的廚房里堆滿了豆子，要心存感激。除了是有史以來最好的安慰食物之一。下面是強大的豆的其他好處。

Bean salad, with black beans, chickpea, apple, spring onion and dill.

Westend61 / Getty Images

1. Superb Practicality

出色的實用性

Beans provide protein, fiber, folate, iron, potassium, and magnesium while containing little or no total fat, trans-fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Compared to meat, Harvard Medical School puts it plainly: "beans are a much better nutritional bargain than steak." Beans are inexpensive; and whether canned or dried, they have a long shelf life. Lastly, for those of us who are soothed by stirring a pot of a simmering something over the course of a day, beans are meditation, therapy, and dinner, all in one.

豆類提供蛋白質(zhì)、纖維、葉酸、鐵、鉀和鎂，同時幾乎不含脂肪、反式脂肪、鈉和膽固醇。與肉類相比，哈佛醫(yī)學(xué)院明確表示:“豆類的營養(yǎng)價值比牛排好得多。”豆類價格便宜;無論是罐裝的還是干燥的，它們的保質(zhì)期都很長。最后，對于我們這些在一天中通過攪拌一鍋燉菜來緩解情緒的人來說，豆類是冥想、治療和晚餐的集合體。

2. A Longer Life

延長壽命

Michelle McMacken, a board-certified internal medicine physician and an assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine, writes at Forks Over Knives that beans and other legumes (like lentils and chickpeas) are “the most important dietary predictor of longevity in people of different ethnicities.” All this time we thought the fountain of youth was comprised of some ethereal and mysterious potion – and it’s really just beans?McMacken tells of one study in which nearly 800 older adults in several countries increased their daily bean and legume consumption – for each 20-gram increase, there was a 7 to 8 percent lower risk of dying during the study period. “No other food groups consistently predicted survival,” she notes.

米歇爾·麥克麥肯是一名獲得委員會認證的內(nèi)科醫(yī)生，也是紐約大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院的醫(yī)學(xué)助理教授，她在《餐叉勝于手術(shù)刀》中寫道，豆類和其他豆類(如扁豆和鷹嘴豆)是“不同種族的人最重要的長壽飲食預(yù)測因素”。“我們一直以為青春之泉是由某種縹緲而神秘的藥劑組成的——而它真的只是豆子?”麥克麥肯說，在一項研究中，幾個國家的近800名老年人增加了他們每天豆類和豆科植物的攝入量——在研究期間，每增加20克，死亡風(fēng)險降低7 - 8%。她指出:“沒有任何其他食物組能夠持續(xù)預(yù)測存活率。”

3. Less Diabetes

降低患糖尿病的風(fēng)險

The American Diabetes Foundation calls beans a “diabetes superfood” for their vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Meanwhile, the Harvard Medical School notes that a cup of beans or lentils each day, when combined with a low-glycemic diet, helped lower blood sugar levels and coronary artery disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. “Legumes, because they pack a lot of protein, help dampen the blood sugar response, and lower blood pressure. And as a good source of fiber, beans can help lower cholesterol, too.”

美國糖尿病基金會稱豆類為“糖尿病超級食物”，富含維生素、礦物質(zhì)和纖維。與此同時，哈佛醫(yī)學(xué)院指出，每天一杯豆類或小扁豆，再加上低血糖飲食，有助于降低2型糖尿病患者的血糖水平和冠狀動脈疾病風(fēng)險。豆類富含蛋白質(zhì)，有助于抑制血糖反應(yīng)，降低血壓。而且作為纖維的良好來源，豆類也有助于降低膽固醇。”

4. A Healthier Heart

保持心臟健康

Research shows that eating beans and legumes four or more times a week versus less than once a week leads to a 22 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease. That is really significant. Research also shows that these power foods also lower blood pressure – McMacken points out that a single serving of beans a day can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by 5 percent.

研究表明，一周吃四次或四次以上的豆類與一周吃不到一次的豆類可以降低22%的冠心病風(fēng)險。這是非常重要的。研究還表明，這些能量食物還能降低血壓——麥克麥肯指出，每天一份豆類可以降低5%的低密度脂蛋白膽固醇。

5. Less Cancer

降低患癌風(fēng)險

While of course The Bean Institute is going to sing the praises of beans, on their site they list all kinds of references to scientific studies backing up their claims. The research they cite shows that regular bean consumption may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, noting that: "Beans unique composition of fiber, as well as important micronutrients and antioxidants, makes them an important food choice for many reasons, including their possible anti-cancer properties for certain types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, and prostate.”

雖然豆類研究所當然會為豆類大唱贊歌，但他們在網(wǎng)站上列出了各種科學(xué)研究的參考資料，以支持他們的說法。他們引用的研究顯示,定期食用豆類可以降低某些癌癥的風(fēng)險,他們指出:“豆子獨特的纖維成分,以及重要的微量營養(yǎng)素和抗氧化劑,使它們成為一個重要的食物選擇,其他原因包括對于某些類型的癌癥,包括結(jié)腸癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌可能的抗癌特性。