It’s Not Easy Being Green
If all you can think about when you think of green beans and peas is green mush around the face of a baby, it’s time to let your memories grow up. Fresh beans and peas right of the garden are succulent and bursting with flavor.
It’s a disservice to peas and green beans that they come wilted, mushy and flavorless out of a can. Even frozen these foods aren’t their best. Frozen peas and green beans are still as nutritious as fresh, but the crispness is somehow lost. And if that crisp fresh feeling that makes green peas and beans so wonderful. Did you know that the canning process can destroy up to 90% of the vitamin Bs and nearly all of the vitamin C in green beans and peas?
Most people in this area tend overcook their green beans and peas. The most healthy way to cook them is to either steam them for a short amount of time or a quick saut?�. Anything longer than a few minutes in the heat and you’ve lost most of the nutrients within these ultra-healthy foods.
Both contain a day’s worth of vitamin C, between 7 and 8 g of fiber and lots of omega-3 fatty acids.
I think when the best things about these two foods, is that we can grow green beans and peas right in our backyard. They do well in this area and many farmers grow these. Once again, if you’re going to buy beans and peas, buy them fresh and buy them from our local farmers.
Besides how easy they are to grow and how incredibly nutritious they are, green beans and peas do a lot within the body. They are wonderful for the hearts, and studies have shown that people who eat a lot of vegetables especially the green ones like beans and peas have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Digestive ly, since green beans and peas have such high fiber and low starch, they have become an important part of a diet for people at risk from colon cancer.
They were also important for anybody who has a concern about bone health, like osteoporosis. While not high in calcium, they contain a lot of the trace elements and especially magnesium that are more important than calcium for keeping bones healthy. Early research also shows that some of the elements of green beans and peas may help reduce the inflammation that causes blindness and neuropathy in type II diabetics.
Whether raw or cooked, it’s best to eat your green beans and peas with a little bit of fat. A small pat of butter, a drizzle of olive or sesame oil or a healthy salad dressing will help you absorb the nutrients better.