What Are the Benefits of White Kidney Beans?
A staple of Italian cuisine – also known as cannellini beans – offers benefits for health as excellent sources of vegetarian protein, fiber, and micronutrients. They appear to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, too. White kidney beans are a versatile ingredient that’s easily incorporated into your salads, soups, and stews.
White Kidney Beans and Micronutrients
The most noteworthy vitamin in its arsenal is folate, a member of the B family. A half-cup of cannellini beans offers a full 18 percent of the daily value for this vitamin. You need folate to produce DNA; it’s especially important for pregnant women, to prevent birth defects in fetuses.
Minerals also figure prominently in the nutritional profile of white beans. Of special note is iron, with a serving supplying 19 percent of the DV. This mineral transports oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. You need some vitamin C to help your body absorb plant-based iron, so eat white beans with tomatoes or kale to reap the greatest benefits.
Potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese are also present in good amounts in white beans. Potassium balances bodily fluids and helps offset your sodium intake, while magnesium and phosphorus contribute to strong bones. Many enzymes are made up, in part, of copper and manganese.
Red Kidney Beans
Red kidney beans are commonly used in chili con carne and are used in the cuisine of India, where the beans are known as rajma. The smaller, darker red beans are also used, particularly in Louisiana families with a recent Caribbean heritage. Small kidney beans used in La Rioja, Spain, are called caparrones. In the Netherlands and Indonesia, These are usually served as a soup called brenebon.[1] In the Levant a common dish consisting of kidney bean stew usually served with rice is known as fasoulia. To make bean paste, they are generally prepared from dried beans and boiling until they are soft, at which point the dark red beans are pulverized into a dry paste.