Anasazi Beans Are>>> ?

Anasazi beans are small kidney shaped purple and white beans in the same family as pinto beans. They can be used in Latin American and Southwestern cuisines, and have a mild, sweet flavor which pairs with a mealy texture. Anasazi beans cook much more quickly than regular beans, and they appear to have been a part of the human diet in the Americas for thousands of years. The beans are also marketed as New Mexico cave beans, Aztec beans, New Mexico appaloosas, and Jacob's Cattle beans.

Anasazi beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, anasazi beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, anasazi beans provide virtually fat-free, high quality protein. But this is far from all anasazi beans have to offer. Anasazi beans are also an excellent source of molybdenum, a very good source of folate and manganese, and a good source of protein and vitamin B1 as well as the minerals phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper.

A Fiber All Star

Check a chart of the fiber content in foods and you'll see legumes leading the pack. Anasazi beans, like other beans, are rich in fiber. A cup of cooked anasazi beans provides 58.8% of the recommended daily intake for fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that combines with bile (which contains cholesterol) and ferries it out of the body. Research studies have shown that insoluble fiber not only helps to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation, but also helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.

The common beans' contribution to heart health lies not just in their fiber, but in the significant amounts of antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium these beans supply. Folic acid and B6 help lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an intermediate product in an important metabolic process called the methylation cycle. Elevated blood levels of homocysteine are an independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease, and are found in between 20-to-40 percent of patients with heart disease.

Intake of common beans is also protective against cancer. In one analysis of dietary data collected by validated food frequency questionnaires in 1991 and 1995 from 90,630 women in the Nurses Health Study II researchers found a significant reduced frequency of breast cancer in those women who consumed a higher intake of common beans or lentils. That was not surprising, what was surprising was that only beans and lentils seemed to offer protection. Intake of tea, onions, apples, string beans, broccoli, green pepper, or blueberries had not protective effct. Eating beans or lentils two or more times per week was associated with a 24% reduced risk of breast cancer.