Kidney Beans

This article is part of a larger article titled "100+ Healthiest Foods On Planet Earth."  Read it here.

The kidney bean is a variety of common bean, so called because, well, it looks like a kidney. A great source of protein, especially for those who don’t eat meat regularly, the kidney bean benefits from being extremely nutrient dense and high in fibre, with large amounts of a number of essential nutrients. Kidney beans are classically a part of Chilli con carne, but can also be used in bean burgers, bean salads, and as a replacement for ground mince in a number of traditional Mexican dishes. With a fantastic nutritional profile and a confirmed heart healthy food, the kidney bean is a fantastic choice of lean protein.

Nutritionally, kidney beans are like many legumes: a nutrient-dense source of lean protein, or, in other words, really good for you! 100g of raw kidney beans is 333 calories, and those 333 calories provide you with 24g of protein (or 48% of your Daily Value – DV). On top of that, kidney beans follow the pattern of many other legumes by being extremely high in dietary fibre (60% DV) and essential nutrients. Kidney beans contain 98% DV of folate, 44% DV of iron, 40% DV of potassium, 35% DV of magnesium, and 20% DV of zinc. That covers everything from haemoglobin production to male sexual performance to your long term risk of heart disease, and that only scratches the surface, so it’s crucially important not to be deficient.

High fibre and high legume diets in general have been shown to be good for cardiovascular disease. High fibre diets have been shown to be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and diets high in legume consumption have been shown to have an extremely reduced risk of heart disease as compared to a control. Finally, there is some association that has been suggested between high fibre diet and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

One word of warning, however: kidney beans contain a toxin called phytohemagglutin, so if cooking from dried, it is important that you boil the kidney beans for at least 10 minutes before eating them. And it is important that you boil them: merely heating them may simply raise the toxin concentration. Canned kidney beans, however, do not carry this danger.