Navy beans can help you improve memory and cognition, protect the heart, improve digestion, encourage healthy circulation, lower the risk of cancer, stimulate growth, and lower the risk of diabetes, among other potential health advantages. Navy beans are a good source of fiber, protein, and carbs. Numerous health advantages have also been linked to abundant phytochemicals and critical elements in navy beans.
Compared to other beans, navy beans offer a lot of fiber that lowers cholesterol. It is a great option for people with insulin resistance, diabetes, and hypoglycemia because of the high fiber content, which reduces the likelihood of blood sugar levels rising. When combined with brown rice, navy beans offer high-quality protein.
Navy Bean Nutrition Facts
What is Exactly Navy Beans?
You may have heard it referred to by several names, such as navy bean, haricot bean, or pea bean if you’ve ever encountered a small, white bean in a soup or bean salad that you can’t quite place. In reality, it is merely a distinct subclass of Phaseolus vulgaris, the most widely grown bean in the Americas.
These beans, which may grow on bushes or vines, are well-liked all over the world and are lauded for their adaptability, ease of cultivation, and nutritional content. The United States Navy used the beans extensively as a staple food item for sailors, giving rise to the term “Navy bean.” Currently available in several varieties, navy beans are known for being resilient and simple to grow.
Due to their high protein content and potential nutritional worth, they have become staple foods in many civilizations. In contrast to many other vegetables and legumes, they may be canned or stored for a long time without losing their nutritional value. While all beans might be the same, this isn’t quite the case because navy beans include some special chemical elements, like phosphatidylserine.
What are the Health Benefits of Navy Beans?
Here are the health benefits of navy beans:
Improve Cognition
Folate, an essential nutrient, guards against neural tube abnormalities that impair the neurological system and anemia. The increase in homocysteine levels that causes neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease is linked to a folate deficit. Navy beans include vitamin B, which boosts several neurotransmitters to improve cognition and memory.
Healthy Heart
Magnesium and folate in navy beans strengthen and protect the heart. Homocysteine levels below a certain threshold cause heart disease. Magnesium eases the strain and stress in blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Prevent Diabetes
Foods high in fiber have a significant impact on diabetes because they assist in normalizing blood sugar levels and encourage nutrition absorption from the stomach. Diabetes risk is decreased by a normal level of insulin and glucose.
Digestive Health
Navy beans are a fantastic source of fiber, which is necessary for maintaining digestive health. It gives stools more volume and lowers the risk of constipation and diarrhea. Additionally, by stimulating peristaltic action, it normalizes bowel processes. A fiber-rich diet helps cleanse the intestines and lowers the risk of gastrointestinal issues, including gastric ulcers and colon cancer.
Prevent Oxidative Stress
As the primary cofactor of antioxidant enzymes, manganese aids in mitigating the effects of free radicals. Cancer and chronic illnesses are less likely, and blood flow and joint mobility are stimulated.
High Protein Content
Navy beans are rich in protein, essential for developing new tissues, cells, bones, muscles, blood vessels, and other body parts. It is necessary for healthy growth, repairing damaged areas, and accelerating healing. For vegans, it is a fantastic source of protein.
Circulation of Blood
The oxygenation of organs and the organism’s overall health depend on sufficient blood flow. Red blood cells cannot function without iron and are more susceptible to anemia, fatigue, weakness, loss of bone mineral density, and poor circulation. The production of hemoglobin depends on copper, and copper is just as necessary as iron for the iron to work properly and deliver its benefits.
Skin Health
It is a fantastic source of antioxidant copper, which is necessary to keep good skin and offers radiant and healthy skin. Raw consumption is not recommended. Because it makes cooking these beans faster and easier and helps with digestion, it soaks them for around 8 to 9 hours before cooking.
Risks and Side Effects
Consuming uncooked navy beans is not advised. Red blood cell clumping may result from phytohemagglutinin poisoning caused by this.
Legumes can lose their harmful effects from lectins and phytohemagglutinin by being cooked.
Eating soaked and cooked navy beans is acceptable because doing so helps remove antinutrients. Watch out for the sodium content and additives if you use canned navy beans.
It is possible to have a legume allergy. Hives, wheezing, and throat constriction is examples of allergy symptoms that can be severe. If you encounter these symptoms, stop drinking immediately and speak with your doctor.
How to Prepare?
Small white beans, known as navy beans, are frequently used in meals like baked beans or beans cooked with ham hocks. To avoid the extra sodium in canned beans, cooking dried navy beans at home is a healthier option.
Navy beans can be prepared and cooked in a few different ways at home. The measurements given are for a bag of dried beans weighing one pound.
Traditional Cooking Method
- Place the rinsed beans in a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water.
- Allow the navy beans to soak overnight, at least eight to 12 hours.
- After soaking, drain off the water.
- Place 8 cups of clean water into the large pot with the navy beans.
- Add any ingredients as per recipe directions.
- Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Continue to follow the recipe for additional ingredients.
- Beans will be tender when fully cooked.
Quick-Cooking Method
- Place the rinsed beans in a large pot and cover with 10 cups of water.
- Bring to a rapid boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and boil for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Drain off the water.
- Place 8 cups of clean water into the large pot with the navy beans.
- Add any ingredients as per recipe directions.
- Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Continue to follow the recipe for additional ingredients.
- Beans will be tender when fully cooked.
How to Freeze Navy Beans?
You’ll eat better and spend less money if you freeze navy beans that you’ve cooked yourself rather than buying canned navy beans, according to cookbook author and “New York Times” culinary writer Mark Bittman.
The price of thawed, cooked navy beans is far lower per serving than canned beans, which have a better flavor and texture. Additionally, storing cooked navy beans can assist you in limiting your sodium intake. In contrast to canned navy beans, which have 1,174 mg of sodium per cup, home-cooked navy beans have none. Use thawed navy beans in salads, pasta dishes, soups, and stews.
- Remove cooked navy beans from heat and allow the beans to cool in their liquid until lukewarm. Drain the beans in a colander, reserving the liquid in a large bowl or container.
- Fill another large bowl with cold water and add the drained navy beans. Allow them to remain until they are cool. Drain thoroughly.
- Measure 1-cup or 2-cup portions of the beans into plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Add enough reserved bean liquid into each container to cover the beans, leaving room at the top of the container for expansion during freezing.
- Add one teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into each container to help preserve the texture of the cooked beans. Put the lids securely and label with the type of bean and date prepared.
- Freeze for up to six months. Discard frozen navy beans after six months.
Navy beans are widely available at dry and tinned stores across the US and Canada. Choose white beans that are uniformly dried and packaged to provide consistent soaking and cooking times. Avoid beans with surface breaks, cracks, or slices since they won’t preserve well when cooked or canned.
For several months, dry navy remains good. Dry beans should be kept at home in an airtight metal or plastic container and away from extreme heat and humidity.
In the USA, Canada, and Europe, navy beans are the most sought-after variety of white beans. Soaking in cold water for 3-5 hours before cooking is common, and they are simpler to cook than other types of white beans. They can also be boiled at a low temperature for an hour, pressure cooked for 20 minutes with soaking and 30 minutes without soaking. Boiling and soaking also aid in the removal of anti-nutritional substances and lessen flatulence.
Conclusion
Navy beans, often referred to as white beans or haricot beans, are a common food in the west, especially for people who work in the military to help them achieve their daily nutritional needs. These flat white beans should be a regular part of your diet plan if you want to lose weight, maintain good cardiac health, improve brain function, build muscles, and repair tissues. They are rich in folate, magnesium, potassium, protein, complex carbohydrates, good fats, iron, and other nutrients.
The daily nutritional requirements are satisfied by delectable dishes produced with navy beans. However, if you have sensitive or fragile stomach troubles, you should avoid these beans since they might lead to severe constipation and other digestive problems.
These white beans are incredibly nutrient-dense because of their high fiber concentration, plant-based protein, and potent antioxidants and minerals.
The capacity of navy beans to improve weight loss, support cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol, and enhance brain function are among their many health advantages.
