Beans are a delicious and hearty addition to soups, salads and other winter dishes – and new research shows that eating more of them could significantly improve the quality of your diet.

Analyzing data from more than 44,000 participants, researchers found that increasing bean consumption could increase a person’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score, a common measure of how nutritious a person’s diet is.

According to the data, beans help a person “(increase) intake of ‘deficient’ nutrients like food fiberpotassium, magnesium, ironfolic acid and choline in the diet, as well as (reducing) the consumption of “caution” nutrients such as sodiumadded sugars and solid (or saturated) fats,” study author Joanne Slavin, MD, PhDprofessor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, said Health.

The research was presented at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in early October. The study was funded by Cannedbeans.org on behalf of Bush’s Best and the Coalition for Legume Progress.

Despite the fact that beans are a known source of plant-based protein and other nutrients, up to 80% of American adults do not reach the recommended intake for legume such as beans, peas and lentils.

Here’s what the experts had to say about why beans can have such a benefit on diet quality, plus the best ways to increase your bean intake.

Previous evidence has shown that consumption of legumes is associated with reduced all-cause mortality and heart disease risk, and this latest study may provide a deeper understanding of why.

This research examined data derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between the years 2001 and 2018. This data came from 23,554 participants aged 19 to 50 and an additional 21,020 participants aged 51 years or older. All participants completed a 24-hour dietary recall survey, which the researchers then measured against US Department of Agriculture HEI standards.

Specifically, they looked at participants’ bean consumption, which included canned or non-canned (including dry) Nauticapinto beans, beansor black beans.

The researchers then determined how intake of “deficit” nutrients, or those typically under-consumed in American diets, might change if participants added one or two additional servings of beans (1/2 cup or 1 cup, respectively) cooked beans) in their diet. . In this study, in particular, the researchers assessed levels of dietary fiber, potassiummagnesium, iron, folic acid and knoll.

“This was a dietary pattern modeling study,” Slavin explained. “By using the NHANES data set, we could model what improvements could be made by increasing bean consumption to recommended levels.”

Increased intake of beans was associated with significant increases in deficient nutrient intake.

And overall HEI scores improved. People saw their diet quality improve by 15-16% when they added one serving of beans to their diet, and those scores were 19-20% higher when people added two servings. These improvements in HEI score could likely reduce participants’ risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, cerebrovascular accidentdiabetes and cancer.

In addition to increasing nutrient intake and diet quality, adding more beans to a person’s diet resulted in increased caloric intake as well as increased sodium intake.

Despite the study results, there are some limitations to keep in mind. First, data obtained from 24-hour dietary recall may be inaccurate or biased because they rely solely on participant memory.

Additionally, “as a modeling study, we had no findings about the effect of eating too many or very large amounts of beans in the diet,” Slavin said.

These limitations — plus the fact that the study was funded by Bush’s Brothers & Company and the Coalition to Advance Pulses — mean more research is needed.

Despite its limitations, “this study confirms what most dietitians know: beans are a great food to include in your healthy eating plan and will likely promote tangible health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol levels, increased fiber intake, and improved blood sugar levels,” said Katy Wilbur, RD, LDN, a dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center. Health.

In addition to the lack of nutrients mentioned in the study (fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acidand choline), beans are also an excellent source of protein, calcium and phosphorus. They’re a “nutritional powerhouse,” Wilbur said.

“Replacing a serving of animal protein with a serving of beans can increase fiber intake to help both gut and heart health, increase vitamin and mineral intake, reduce cholesterol and saturated fat intake, and probably , can save money on your grocery bill. ” she added.

These legumes pose problems for some people, however. The high fiber content can make beans difficult to digest, leading to gas or bloating bloatingWilbur explained.

But for those who don’t complain of gastrointestinal discomfort after eating beans, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy them at home.

Beans are usually purchased either canned or dried – and it really doesn’t really matter which option you choose.

“While canned beans may have additives and preservatives such as salt, calcium chloride, sugar or spices, canned and dried beans have very similar nutritional profiles,” Wilbur said. It’s also an added bonus that both options are relatively inexpensive.

“If you’re concerned about the sodium in canned beans, there are low-salt versions available,” Slavin said.

Canned and dried beans (once cooked) can easily be added to salads, soups, pastas, rice dishes, chilis, and casseroles.

Some easy swaps to increase your bean intake include “snacking dried chickpeas instead of crackers or using hummus instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich,” Wilbur recommended.