How to Cook Beans for Maximum Benefit | Science in the Kitchen
Wondering how to cook beans to maximize health benefits? Today we cover the science on cooking beans, best methods for soaking etc. A one-stop shop on how to cook beans and get maximum health benefits
Let’s look at how to cook beans, the soaking, the cooking methods, what the science says is the best way to get the most benefit out of them
soaked beans cook faster, but there are other benefits. Beans contain great nutrients but also lectins and phytates.
beans are seeds, so they store nutrients for when they sprout and need them to grow - that's what phytates are for. but phytates bind to calcium, iron, zinc. Soaking breaks down phytates
how long to soak? Beans swell in water. one day is a good ballpark.
When you soak beans, phytates keep dropping up to 3days of soaking
sprouting: drain soaking water and leave beans in jar or bowl. Sprouting gets rid of the most phytates and makes the nutrients in beans more absorbable; it also increases the antioxidant power of beans, peas and chickpeas etc. exception: lentils (lose antioxidant power with sprouting)
You can sprout beans or just give them a good soak
The water changes color when you soak beans. With black beans it gets dark, with chickpeas it gets yellow. Soluble constituents of beans leach out
Before cooking, bean experts recommend discarding the soaking water to get rid of phytates
Beans & gas: oligosaccharides. they leach out during soaking. discarding the soaking water helps get rid of them to get the best of beans
if not used to eating beans, start slow.
Cooking beans reduces phytates and lectins. Lectins are thermolabile (destroyed with cooking). lectins have been linked to benefits. Should we go buy lectin supplements or eat purified lectins? no. it’s about amount and context. tomatoes are not suddenly made unhealthy for containing lectins
Well--cooked beans are beneficial. their net effect is massively positive
lectins are not a problem
how should we cook beans? some studies suggest steaming over boiling and pressure steaming in particular (steaming basket inside the pressure cooker). regular steaming or pressure cooking generally looks better than regular boiling. lentils are the odd man out, regular old boiling seems to work best
unless you eat raw beans, they’re a great food no matter what. Civilizations have been enjoying their benefits without reading studies on how to cook beans so don’t stress over this
How long to cook beans? ~1h for boiling/steaming, 10-15mins for boiling in pressure cooker
Cooking water: some bean components leach into cooking water, just like during soaking. You can discard cooking water or consume the cooking water e.g. in soup. If you can eat beans like a champ, no prob
Iron: the iron in beans is non-heme, you can enhance absorption with vitamin C (red bellpepper), with onions and garlic or beta-carotene, they all boost absorption of nonheme iron
More ideas for plant protein sources and more on iron, maximize absorption and get all the iron you need
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References:
Soaking, phytates, oligosaccharides etc:
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d...
Sprouting:
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Lectins:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ab...
mdpi.com/1420-3049/20/3/3791
Benefits of Legumes:
nature.com/articles/ejcn201422...
academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/...
ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CI...
bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b2337....
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/...
Cooking methods:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ab...
iron:
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/...
Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.
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