Navy Bean Flour (Phaseolus vulgaris), donated by the Michigan Bean Shippers Association, were used to produce flour fractions at Texas A & M University.
Uses
- Used in cuisine.
Benefits
- Navy beans, like other beans, are rich in dietary fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that combines with bile (which contains cholesterol) and ferries it out of the body. Research studies have shown that insoluble fiber not only helps to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation, but also helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.
- Navy beans’ contribution to heart health lies not just in their fiber, but in the significant amounts of folate and magnesium these beans supply. Folate helps lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an intermediate product in an important metabolic process called the methylation cycle. Elevated blood levels of homocysteine are an independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease, and are found in between 20-40% of patients with heart disease.
- Navy beans’ good supply of magnesium puts yet another plus in the column of its beneficial cardiovascular effects. Magnesium is Nature’s own calcium channel blocker. When there is enough magnesium around, veins and arteries breathe a sigh of relief and relax, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart.
- Potassium, an important electrolyte involved in nerve transmission and the contraction of all muscles including the heart, is another mineral that is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.
Cautions
n/a
Interactions
n/a
Other names
- Phaseolus vulgaris
References
Source: WhFoods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=88
Nalsc, https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43775665/PDF