String beans

A representative of the vegetable crop plant from the legume family is the green bean. It is also called green, asparagus or sugar beans.

Beans have been known since the 16th century, but at that time they were used only for decorative purposes, because it is a rather beautiful climbing plant. Beans began to be eaten in the 18th century, but only the grains were eaten. No one dared to try the pods until they did so in Italy: the taste of young unripe pods pleased the Italians so much that a new variety of beans was soon bred - green beans. Its taste became even more delicate and pleasant. Later, bean varieties began to be cultivated in France: green and yellow varieties of green beans appeared, which are distinguished by a lower protein content, but contain much more vitamins necessary for the body.

An undoubted advantage of this plant is its unpretentiousness in cultivation: beans are not capricious to the composition of the soil, they get along with almost all other vegetable crops. It is enough to just regularly water and weed the plant. The green bean harvest is collected from July to September.

Properties of green beans

Green beans contain quite a lot of vitamins: a large amount of folic acid, vitamins of group B, C, A, E. In addition, it contains a large variety of minerals: zinc, magnesium, potassium salts, as well as sulfur, chromium, calcium, iron. Beans are rich in healthy fiber, which improves the functionality of the digestive tract.

Due to the maximum content of useful substances, eating beans is very important for maintaining health, strengthening the immune system, and protecting against external destructive factors. If you regularly eat green beans, your health will improve significantly, which will be noticeable in your appearance.

Green beans can have a pronounced general strengthening effect, improve digestive functions, and bring relief from pulmonary and infectious diseases.

In case of anemia and low hemoglobin levels, green beans will also help, as they have the ability to positively affect the production of red blood cells.

Beans normalize blood sugar levels, which is very important for those who suffer from diabetes, as well as for those on a diet: by normalizing the carbohydrate balance, beans stabilize metabolic processes, and also perfectly satisfy hunger without weighing down the gastrointestinal tract.

The antimicrobial properties of beans are used in cases of tuberculosis, oral diseases, and intestinal pathologies. Patients with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and arrhythmia should definitely include green beans in their daily diet.

Green beans contain a fairly large amount of zinc, which is considered an extremely necessary microelement for the human body (especially for men). Healthy principles in nutrition and the presence of zinc are inseparable concepts. By eating beans (especially instead of potatoes or bread), it is quite possible to lose extra pounds. Considering that green beans are a low-calorie product, they can be consumed almost without restrictions.

Energy value of green beans

The energy value of green beans may depend on the type of product, and there are quite a few of them. In addition to caloric content, varieties may differ in color, pod shape, and ripening time.

The calorie content of raw green beans can be from 23 to 32 kcal per 100 g of product. However, beans are usually not eaten raw: they contain a certain amount of toxic substances that are neutralized after a short heat treatment. After the cooking process, beans can retain almost 80% of the benefits, even with long-term processing (canning). However, the preparation of bean dishes certainly affects the final calorie content of the dish. A change in the number of calories can occur as a result of the transformation of proteins, fats and carbohydrates into other components, as well as by adding additional components to the dish, such as oil, seasonings, spices, cream, etc.

For example, the calorie content of boiled green beans ranges from 47 to 128 kcal/100 g. Such beans are perfect for salads, omelettes, and can be used as a side dish when on a diet.

A less suitable option for a fasting diet is fried beans. The caloric content of fried green beans can reach 175 kcal/100 g of product.

Many people prefer to cook beans by stewing. The caloric content of stewed green beans is 136 kcal. This is a more dietary dish compared to fried beans, but it is inferior in "dietary" to boiled and steamed beans.

The caloric content of frozen green beans is 28 kcal/100 g.

As is known, the caloric content of food products is concentrated in their rational components: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. For example, one gram of fat produces 9 kcal, one gram of carbohydrates and protein – 4 kcal respectively. The ratio of these components can be used to determine their impact on the energy value of the product.

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Nutritional value of green beans

By the concept of nutritional value we mean the combination of useful properties of a product to most fully satisfy the physiological needs of the human body for fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

The nutritional content of green beans is as follows:

• proteins – 2.5 g
• lipids – 0.3 g
• carbohydrates – 3 g
• water – 90 g
• amount of organic acids – 0.1 g
• amount of dietary fiber – 3.4 g
• di- and monosaccharides – 2 g
• starchy substances – 1 g
• amount of saturated fatty acids – 0.1 g
• ash – 0.7 g

Vitamins in green beans are presented as follows:

• vitamin PP – 0.5 mg
• β-carotene – 0.4 mg
• retinol (vit. A) – 67 mcg
• thiamine (vit. B¹) – 0.1 mg
• riboflavin (vit. B²) – 0.2 mg
• pantothenic acid – 0.2 mg
• pyridoxine – 0.2 mg
• folic acid – 36 mcg
• ascorbic acid (vit. C) – 20 mg
• tocopherol (vit. E) – 0.3 mg
• niacin analogue of vit. PP – 0.9 mg

The chemical composition of green beans is represented by macro- and microelements:

• calcium salts – 65 mg
• magnesium salts – 26 mg
• sodium salts – 2 mg
• potassium – 260 mg
• phosphorus – 44 mg
• iron – 1.1 mg
• zinc – 0.18 mg
• sulfur - 9 mg
• iodine – 0.7 mg
• copper – 33 mcg
• selenium - 1.4 mcg
• fluorine – 2.5 mcg
• silicon – 5.25 mg
• cobalt - 1 mcg

The glycemic index of green beans is equal to 15. This means that only 15% of the carbohydrate composition is converted into glucose in the blood. This glycemic index indicates that green beans do not have a negative effect on the basal metabolism, do not contribute to fatigue and extra pounds.

Benefits of Green Beans

Green beans are one of the few crops that are not capable of accumulating toxins that enter the plant from the soil and the external environment.

Green beans will help stabilize hormonal balance due to a successful combination of vitamins. For this reason, this type of beans should be consumed by adolescents during puberty, women during menopause, as well as pregnant and lactating women to reduce the likelihood of hormonal imbalances.

Green beans will help to cope with anemia: thanks to the healing pods, hemoglobin production improves. Beans are included in the menu of people who care about their health, keep fit and watch their figure. In addition, green beans are recommended in dietary nutrition when fighting obesity.

Green beans are an excellent remedy for diabetes. This plant is able to reduce the amount of glucose in the blood: in this regard, the need for insulin drugs decreases. The insulin-like element arginine was found in the composition of the pods, it is this that reduces the proportion of glucose in the blood. The most effective in this matter is the use of a decoction of pods in combination with blueberry leaves: this drink is drunk ½ cup before meals.

Green beans are an excellent tranquilizer and antibacterial agent. Dishes from this crop are extremely useful and can improve the prognosis even for tuberculosis.

The benefits of green beans have also been discovered in cardiology: regular consumption of this crop in food helps slow down the processes of age-related changes in tissues, reduce cholesterol levels, stop the development of atherosclerosis, and prevent hypertensive crisis and arrhythmia.

In principle, if you eat green beans regularly, you won't have to follow a weight loss diet. Normalizing your metabolism will gradually bring your weight back to normal.

Bean pods serve as an excellent preventative measure against prostatitis, calculous pyelonephritis and cholecystitis, and erectile dysfunction.

Harm of green beans

Those who suffer from gastritis, gastric ulcer, pancreatitis, colitis, and also have increased acidity of gastric juice should not eat dishes from green beans. People with unstable bowel function are not recommended to eat dishes from green beans daily or in large portions.

Since almost any legume dish can cause increased gas formation, when cooking beans, you should add seasonings that eliminate the symptoms of bloating. Such seasonings include caraway, dill, etc.

Green beans for pancreatitis are consumed only in the recovery stage, but only boiled, without spices and oil.

Green beans are not recommended for gastritis.

Varieties of green beans

There are quite a few varieties of green beans, about fifty. There are beans that grow in bushes, or those that twine like grapes. Among such varieties, the most curious are the Chinese and Japanese varieties of beans: their pods can grow up to 90 cm in length.

In our area, the most common are red green beans and yellow green beans. However, they also have quite a few varieties:

• Dutch "deer king" - famous for its early and large harvest of pods, which have a bright yellow lemon color and a very delicate taste. Such beans can give up to two seasonal harvests;
• Polish "fana" - green pods with white seeds. This variety is highly resistant to all kinds of diseases, has good antimicrobial properties, and is therefore perfect for canning;
• Polish "panther" - these yellowish juicy pods are eaten even raw;
• American "royal purple" - has characteristic purple pods that turn a rich green color when cooked;
• Austrian "Blau Hilde" - a tall plant with purple pods and creamy grain;
• American "Indiana" - an interesting and common variety of pods, contains light-colored seeds with a cherry pattern reminiscent of the outline of an Indian in a hat;
• American "blue like" - purple pods with large seeds, produces a good, abundant harvest;
• American "golden nectar" - the pods are collected 2 months after sowing. The plant is tall, and the pods are long - up to 25 centimeters;
• American "Ad Ram" - a productive variety with pinkish-lilac grain. Interestingly, the grain of such beans has a delicate mushroom smell, which is transferred to the dish during cooking;
• Japanese "Akito" - also has a mushroom smell, but the grain is black, and the amount of harvest collected from the bushes is beyond any competition.

Green beans can be canned, marinated, salted, and also used to prepare first courses, omelettes, casseroles, side dishes, salads, etc.

Green Beans Recipes

Many of us have often encountered attractive multi-colored pods in supermarkets or markets, but did not know how to cook green beans. In fact, there are a great many recipes for cooking pods. Moreover, beans in pods are almost always cooked quickly and deliciously, and considering their benefits for the body, eating beans becomes simply necessary.

To prepare a dish from green beans, you don’t have to be an experienced cook: even a beginner can cope with simple recipes. What does green beans go with? They go great with meat (especially chicken), vegetables (potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, sweet peppers), lemon, pasta, eggs and even mushrooms.

The perfect combination of green beans with other products will definitely please you and your family.

Green Bean Salad

What you will need: 0.5 kg of fresh green beans, 0.3 kg of carrots, up to 3 tablespoons of grape or rice vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, a little olive or sunflower oil, salt and ground pepper to taste, a little finely chopped parsley or cilantro.

Cut the carrots into strips (like for Korean). Place the prepared carrots and bean pods, cut into small pieces, into boiling salted water. Keep uncovered on high heat for 5-6 minutes. Then discard in a colander, rinse in cool water and dry. Transfer to a bowl, add a little sugar, spices, salt, vinegar and oil, mix and sprinkle with herbs. The salad is ready.

Frozen Green Beans with Mushrooms

Ingredients: 4 medium onions, a large red bell pepper (or two small ones), one medium carrot, 400 g slightly thawed frozen green beans, 400 g fresh finely chopped champignons, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 150 g chechil cheese, pepper, salt, a little vegetable oil.

Pour some vegetable oil into a hot frying pan, add finely chopped onion, sauté. Grate carrots, cut pepper into strips, pour into the frying pan with browned onion. After 5 minutes, add beans, after another 5 minutes – chopped champignons, then garlic. Finally, add spices and chopped cheese, let it melt slightly. Remove from heat: the dish is ready.

Pickled Green Beans

You will need: 0.5 kg green beans, 50 g vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, 5 cloves of garlic, dill, salt.

Cooking: boil the bean pods in salted water for 5-7 minutes, drain in a colander, and cool. While it cools, prepare the marinade. Mix oil, lemon juice or vinegar, crushed (or pressed) garlic and finely chopped dill. Experts say that it is impossible to spoil our dish with garlic and dill, so those who like spicy food add more of these ingredients.

Next, pour the marinade over the pods, mix by shaking, put in a salad bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours (or overnight). Our dish is ready.

Chicken with green beans

Ingredients: chicken fillet (2 pcs.), honey (full teaspoon), 2 tablespoons soy sauce, salt and pepper, olive oil, 0.5 kg green beans, 4 cloves of garlic.

Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces and marinate. The marinade includes soy sauce, honey, salt and pepper to taste, a little olive oil. While the meat is marinating, clean, cut into strips and boil the bean pods (for 5-6 minutes). Drain the water.

Grease a frying pan with vegetable oil, put the boiled pods on it, add chopped garlic, salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, remove from heat and put on a plate. In the same frying pan, fry the marinated chicken fillet for 5 minutes until done. Put the finished meat on top of the beans without stirring. Enjoy.

Green beans with egg

What you need: 0.4 kg of green beans, two eggs, salt, pepper, butter.

The dish can be eaten hot or cold.

Cook the peeled and diced beans for 7-8 minutes in salted water. Drain in a colander. Put butter in a hot frying pan, then the beans, fry and break two eggs into it. Stir until the dish is fried. When serving, you can add a fresh tomato and sprinkle with herbs. Enjoy your meal.

Meat with green beans

What you need: 0.4 kg frozen green beans, 300 g ground beef or pork, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 medium onions, vegetable oil, salt and pepper, herbs.

Finely chop the onions, fry in a frying pan until golden. Add the mince and stir quickly, continue stirring for five minutes over high heat. Add spices, herbs and soy sauce. Add the unfrozen bean pods to the mince, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until done. When serving, you can additionally sprinkle with fresh dill.

Green bean soup

Ingredients: 3 liters of water, one onion, two medium carrots, five potatoes (can be replaced with cauliflower), celery root, 300 g of green beans, two pieces of white bread, herbs, salt, pepper.

Preparation: finely chop the onion, grate the carrot, throw everything into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Cut the green beans and celery into small sticks and fry in a frying pan with olive oil. Cut the potatoes into small cubes and add to the onion and carrot. When the potatoes are ready, add the celery and beans, add salt, bring to a boil and remove from the burner. Grind the slightly cooled soup with a blender until puree. Bring the finished puree to a boil again. Serve the soup hot, sprinkled with herbs. White bread croutons are very appropriate for this soup, they complement the taste of the dish.

Green beans in a slow cooker, Polish style

The ingredients we will need are: frozen green beans 0.4-0.5 kg, 2 smoked sausages, 200 g smoked breast, one medium onion, 4 cloves of garlic, marjoram, salt and pepper, tomato sauce (or tomatoes in their own juice).

Basic parameters for a multicooker: 860 watts, with the main program – stewing – half an hour; with the additional program – frying – half an hour.

In the frying mode, fry the chopped onion in vegetable oil, then add the chopped sausages and breast. Add tomato sauce or a tomato in its own juice (previously crushed with a spatula). Stir and turn off the mode. Add frozen, slightly thawed beans, marjoram. You can add salt and pepper, but you can also not add, focus on your taste. Stir and set the "stewing" mode, 30 minutes will be enough. Enjoy your meal.

Cooking green beans

Before preparing dishes from green beans, you need to know a few cooking tricks:

• Some varieties of pods have a membranous part between the valves (the so-called vein), which should be removed, otherwise the pods will be difficult to chew;
• long pods must be cut into pieces of about 1-2 cm;
• Before cooking, the pods should be washed and the base of the stalk should be cut off;
• if the pods are thick and dense enough, you can break them into 4 cm long pieces by hand instead of cutting them;
• if the pods are not "fresh", you can soak them in cold water for several hours. This way you can return moisture and juiciness to the pods;
• Do not cook green beans in an aluminum pan: it will lose color;
• It is better to add salt to green beans after cooking: this way you will preserve the bright fresh color of the pods;
• If you are not going to use the beans immediately after cooking, the pods should be cooled under cold running water.

How long to cook green beans? Ideally, green beans are cooked for 5-7 minutes. If you cook them less, the beans will remain raw; if you cook them more, the beans can simply be overcooked. Green beans should be firm to the taste, but not crunchy; chew well enough, but not fall apart.

Green beans during breastfeeding

Can nursing mothers eat green beans? Yes! Sometimes young mothers are afraid to eat certain foods to protect their child from possible consequences. Green beans are also treated with caution: will there be increased gas formation and stool upset in the child? We can reassure you: tender green pods have little in common with ordinary beans, moreover, if you include green beans in the menu, the baby's stool improves, constipation is eliminated.

Green beans can also be used as part of vegetable food: children eat this puree with pleasure, without suffering from flatulence or stomach upset.

If you are still in doubt, you can add a little dill to the green bean dish. This simple trick will 100% protect you and your baby from increased gas formation.

Green Bean Diet

Green beans are a wonderful and healthy plant. Due to the large amount of fiber and proteins, this product quickly and efficiently satisfies hunger, and the low calorie content makes the product ideal for use in dietary nutrition.

You can stick to a 3-day or 7-day bean diet, or simply eat a bean salad instead of one of your main meals.

• Let's talk about the 3-day bean pod diet. This diet is great for unloading after a vacation, holiday or weekend.

The first day.

• Breakfast - contains a protein omelette (from a couple of eggs), 200 g of boiled green beans, seasoned with a teaspoon of vegetable oil.
• Lunch – 120-150 g of lean fish (or chicken breast) with a salad of vegetables, dill and boiled green beans.
• Afternoon snack – you can eat an apple.
• For dinner, you can have a vegetable salad with green beans cooked in a steamer with lemon juice.

Second day.

• Breakfast – 100 g of steamed green beans, seasoned with low-fat yogurt and dill.
• Lunch – pureed pod soup with sweet pepper, zucchini and tomato. You can add a couple of dry toasts from dark bread (or whole grain bread).
• For an afternoon snack you can eat an apple.
• For dinner, we have steamed green beans seasoned with dill and vegetable oil.

Third day.

Fasting day: boil one and a half kilograms of bean pods in a steamer, season with two spoons of vegetable oil and lemon juice. This amount of pods will have to be divided into 4 parts and eaten throughout the day. Do not eat anything else, drink only clean water without gas.

• Let's move on to a seven-day green bean diet. The advantages of this dietary nutrition are that it is suitable for both those who prefer meat and vegetarians. The diet involves eating five times a day (every 3 hours), so you will not have to starve. During the diet, you cannot drink alcoholic beverages, instant coffee, carbonated water. This diet should not last more than a week. You can drink no more than 2 cups of natural brewed coffee.

Example of a dietary meal plan:

• For breakfast, 200 g of steamed green beans with a teaspoon of vegetable oil and 200 g of buckwheat or wheat porridge.
• Snack – 200 g strawberries or 2 apples.
• Lunch: lean soup with green beans, 150 g of cottage cheese or low-fat cheese.
• Afternoon snack – a glass of kefir or soy milk.
• We have dinner with vegetable salad with steamed green beans.

Diets based on bean pods are considered very effective and easily tolerated.

Green beans for diabetes

Green beans are an ideal food for diabetics. Green beans are rich in amino acids, represented by lysine and arginine. These substances, when they enter the body, establish the production of its own proteins, in particular, insulin.

The combination of vitamins and microelements necessary for the body also plays a role in controlling normal blood glucose levels. Fiber, which is abundant in bean pods, interferes with the absorption of carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract, while regulating metabolism and eliminating the risk of a jump in glucose levels.

Traditional treatment for diabetes involves the use of decoctions and infusions of green beans. Against the background of drug treatment and diet, traditional methods significantly improve the dynamics of the disease. The pods can lower blood sugar and maintain the level for 7 hours. However, remember that it is strictly forbidden to arbitrarily change the dosage of insulin or prescribed medications.

• Pour a glass of boiling water over 50 g of crushed pods and leave in a thermos overnight. Take half a glass half an hour before meals.
• Boil 4 tablespoons of crushed pods in 1 liter of water. Drink 1 cup of the decoction before meals.

Medicinal decoctions and infusions using green beans must be stirred before use. Sugar should not be added to drinks under any circumstances.

Treatment with pods must be agreed upon with the attending physician.

How to store green beans?

Green beans are difficult to store. At a temperature of 22-25°C, the pods are stored for 12 hours, in a refrigerator - for a day. After this time, the quality of the beans becomes worse. Young pods are stored by placing them in polyethylene and then freezing. Frozen beans can be stored for a long time, but repeated defrosting and freezing should not be allowed.

You can also can green beans. The canning process is not difficult, and from canned green beans you can prepare a variety of side dishes, as well as first courses, salads, sautés, etc.

We offer you a recipe for delicious canned green beans.

Ingredients: 2.5 kg of green beans; 2 liters of water; half a tablespoon of rock salt; half a cup of grape vinegar.

Young bean pods are washed, cleaned of veins, cut into 2-3 cm bars, blanched in boiling water for 5-6 minutes. After that, they are thrown into a sieve and washed under running cool water, tightly packed into jars, tamped, poured with prepared warm marinade, covered with lids, sterilized and rolled up.

The marinade is prepared as follows: boil water, add salt and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the required amount of vinegar. Enjoy your meal.

Green beans are an amazingly healthy crop that deserves the attention of everyone who follows a healthy lifestyle and preaches the principles of proper nutrition. If you see tender bean pods on sale, don’t pass them by, give yourself and your family the pleasure of trying this tasty and tender product. Green beans are easily digestible and can be consumed by both adults and children.