Try Beans This Way! Plus, more Benefits :)

Beans to add 4 joyful years to your life! Plus, it tastes great!

Here's another way to eat them: Tricky Traditional Lasagna!

Tricky Traditional Lasagna

Dan Buettner is an author/researcher who studies the places on Earth where people live the longest, and shares the habits and traditions they all have in common to help us all live longer. I wanted to share a link to Dan Buettner's email newsletter, though I have been unable to locate it online, on his website or elsewhere (this is a link to his first 49 editions), so here's a big quote from Dan's Live to 100, Edition 56:

"If there’s one food that unites the world’s longest-lived people, it’s beans. Lentils in Ikaria. Black beans in Nicoya. Garbanzo beans in Sardinia. Soybeans in Okinawa. Pinto beans in Loma Linda. They all show up day after day, often as the centerpiece of the meal.

And here’s what’s remarkable: In every blue zone, people eat at least a half cup of beans daily, often without thinking about it. It’s not part of a fad or challenge. It’s not something they have to remind themselves to do. It’s just what they’ve always done.

A way of eating that’s woven into their culture, their kitchens, their lives.

It turns out, that half cup might be one of the most powerful dietary decisions we can make for our health and longevity. A 2023 meta-analysis of over 1.1 million people found that eating just 50 grams of legumes a day (about half a cup) was associated with a 6% lower risk of death from all causes, and a 9% lower risk of dying from stroke.

That’s a small amount of food with an outsized effect and meaningful long-term impact.

So what makes beans so powerful?

Let’s start with the fiber. Most people fall far short of the recommended daily fiber intake and low fiber is linked to a host of chronic issues, from heart disease to colon cancer to type 2 diabetes. Beans are one of the richest sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, promote fullness, and support healthy digestion. Soluble fiber also feeds the gut microbiota, the trillions of beneficial bacteria that live in our intestines and play a key role in everything from immune function to brain health.

But it’s not just about fiber. Beans are a slow-digesting carbohydrate, with a low glycemic index that keeps blood sugar stable. That’s critical for long-term metabolic health, especially as we age. They're also one of the few plant-based proteins that are rich in lysine, an essential amino acid that helps with tissue repair, hormone production, and calcium absorption. Plus, they deliver key minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate, which support everything from heart function to cognitive performance.

Beans are also a stealth anti-inflammatory food. Thanks to their high levels of polyphenols and resistant starches, they help lower inflammation at the cellular level. This matters because chronic inflammation is a major driver of aging and many age-related diseases—including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers."

I encourage you to sign up for Dan's biweekly newsletter by going to the very bottom of his website and filling out your name and email address.

Here is a previous fresh-you post about the Blue Zones

Creamy, Satisfying Peanut Butter Pie

If you love peanut butter, you have to try this simple, protein-packed recipe! Both of my teenage girls love this pie that we sometimes even eat for breakfast!

Last week, I stressed the importance of protein in the morning. More specifically, beans in the morning, and all day long! Tonight, I am going to share a dessert that's so healthy it could be breakfast!

CREAMY, SATISFYING PEANUT BUTTER PIE

CREAMY, SATISFYING PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Yes, this sweet treat contains soybeans and garbanzo beans (tofu and chickpeas), and of course peanut butter. This recipe comes from Broccoli Mum, a vegan mum who lost 66 pounds on plant based whole foods of high nutrient density and low-calorie density. Her name is Ami Deane. She lives in New Zealand and has a lovely English accent. She has been vegan since birth. She makes quirky recipe videos on TikTok with wonderfully simple, nutritious, and creative recipes. I love her passion!

I only vary Broccoli Mum's recipe in a few tiny ways.

Ingredients:

CRUST (this amount blends well, there will be enough to make another pie)

2 cups chickpeas, 1 can, drained 

1 cup oats

12 deglet noor dates (or 6 medjool dates)

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

FILLING

3 plantains, cooked in microwave

1 package of silken tofu (I read that firm has worked for others)

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (original recipe uses 1/4 cup peanut butter powder)

1 tsp vanilla

Note: original recipe uses a pinch of salt in each of the crust and filling mixes

Plantain preparation (Broccoli Mum's video is great for this part especially): slice through peel of full length of each plantain. This is similar to puncturing potatoes before baking. Microwave plantains for around 6 minutes. They will be very hot.

In food processor, blend crust ingredients. Press half of mixture into pie pan. Store remaining contents for future use. Next, remove plantains from peels and combine with tofu, peanut butter, and vanilla. Process until creamy. Finally, pour mixture over crust and refrigerate for a few hours. Then, enjoy!

Key Words:

High nutrient density: this means a food has a lot of great stuff, vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and more, for very few calories. 

Examples: kale, raspberries.

High calorie density: this means a food provides very few nutrients with the cost of many calories.

Examples: soda pop, oil, cheese.

Beans for Breakfast

Europe has the right idea! In the States, I'm sort of an odd ball having beans in the morning, but over the pond, it's part of a "complete breakfast". The photo was my breakfast at a lovely hotel in London, England last summer :)

My hope for you is to get MORE BEANS every day, and no better time to start than at breakfast! The American Insititute for Cancer Research published the most comprehensive analysis of diet and cancer, based on a half million studies around the globe. Among its recommendations, the Institute suggests we eat beans, not weekly or daily, but THREE TIMES A DAY.

• "Second Meal Effect" of beans
• Protein first thing in the morning - Lasting energy for the day!
• Nutritional benefits of beans!
• Tips from a French biochemist for better blood sugar control / Savory breakfast
• Try this Creamy Peanut Butter Pie!

The "Second Meal Effect of Beans"; it's shown that when one eats beans/legumes, the next meal they eat does not raise the eater's blood sugar level as high as when the person has not eaten beans in the previous meal. I often say, while I don't recommend cake as a meal, if you eat cake after you have eaten beans, your blood sugar spike will be LESS OF A SPIKE than if you hadn't eaten the beans previously. These effects are seen hours, and even days after bean/legume consumption!

While protein controversy is constant, I think all nutrition experts agree that getting some protein first thing in the morning is good advice. This allows us to have sustained energy to get through our day with gusto! Protein and fiber are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates alone, allowing a steady supply of energy. To clarify fiber is a carbohydrate and carbohydrate foods containing fiber (whole grains, fruits, veggies, beans), also provide SUSTAINED ENERGY.

Honestly, every food you'll find promoted here is going to provide NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and carbohydrates! Beans do get special mention for providing more PROTEIN than other foods!

Glucose Goddess is a French biochemist named Jessie Inchauspe. I see value in the ways she teaches people (especially women) to better control their blood glucose. Those who oppose her, dislike the "eat whatever you want" attitude. True, people could benefit most by using her tips, ALONG with appropriate/healthy choices otherwise. Still, her tips do improve blood sugar, AND this particular health marker is very important for many of the health outcomes we all care about (heart health, digestive, cancer, brain health, etc). Here is a cheat sheet for her great tips (all great advice):

1. Savory breakfast (beans help here!)
2. Walk/move/exercise for 10 minutes after a meal each day
3. Eat veggies before a meal each day
4. One Tbsp vinegar (any kind, not alone, please add to a glass of water) prior to a meal each day

By the way, all beans are legumes, but not all legumes are beans. For example, garbanzo beans and lentils are legumes, but not beans.

Here is Dr Greger's video about the "Second Meal Effect of Beans"

"People you eat the most legumes appear to only have a fraction of the risk for a type of prediabetes known as metabolic syndrome" 

Increased Lifespan from Beans

How Beans Help our Bones

Slow Your Beating Heart with Beans

Block Cancer with Beans

Here are 10 Glucose Goddess Hacks

COMMENTS: How do you eat your beans for breakfast? Please tell us in a comment below!

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Gaples Institute - an outstanding resource for clinicians, the community, and young adults!

I'm planning to share more here in order to help more people to feel better all around! I love Gaples Institute and all it is doing for the world! This particular resource can help your teen (and you!) discover the beautiful connection between food and mood! Enjoy!

Gaples Institute is a non-profit organization that was recognized by the White House in 2024 as part of an initiative to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. There are courses for clinicians (medical schools, nurses, dietitians, and physicians) and for the community (teens, parents, everyone (in English and Espanol). Gaple offers a course that is REQUIRED for leading medical schools, such as Hardvard, Johns Hopkins, and Tufts University. I and the many teens I have worked with, find the 5-session course "Using Food as a Superpower" helpful, fun, and easy! Teens enjoy how fast each session goes by, the meaningful interactivity, and appreciate the certificate they earn upon completion. They learn so much and get a sense of achievement by answering four questions at the end of each session. "You adults learn the connection between food and mood- and much more! Mood boosting foods, how food affects sleep, nutrition for better energy". I am truly grateful for this outstanding resource, and I hope that others will enjoy as well! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr Stephen Devries, MD!

"Healthcare is in critical condition, with too little focus on how nutrition and lifestyle impact health. I saw this urgent problem firsthand during more than 25 years in practice. We founded the nonprofit Gaples Institute to address this crucial gap" - Stephen Devries, MD, Executive Director, Gaples Institute

Fantastic Resource for Teaching Teens the connection of FOOD and MOOD!

 

Let Food Be Thy Medicine Presentation at Hillcrest YMCA

If you missed this presentation, there will be opportunities to learn more in future health and nutrition classes with Colleen!

3rd Annual Highland Heights Employee Health Fair

 Congratulations on prioritizing YOUR HEALTH today!

This is the recipe you tried today: BROWNIE BITES

Here is more information about Dr Greger's DAILY DOZEN 

UPCOMING CLASS: "Let Food Be Thy Medicine" November 15th, 7-8:30pm, $25

Sign up today by text, call, or email, 440-655-1433, colleen@fresh-you.com

This is a fun evening of learning, tasting, and more! Colleen will prepare some healthy foods for you to eat while sharing with you the importance and power of nourishing ourselves and our families in the most scientifically proven ways, also tasty and fast!

Learn how to decrease blood pressure, aches and pains, cholesterol, and more! Bring a friend, you can grow together and support each other on your journey!

Lyndhurst Health and Wellness Pop-Up

Congratulations on prioritizing YOUR HEALTH today!

This is the recipe you tried today: BROWNIE BITES

Here is more information about Dr Greger's DAILY DOZEN 

UPCOMING CLASS: "Let Food Be Thy Medicine" October 4th, 7-8:30pm, $25

Sign up today by text, call, or email, 440-655-1433, colleen@fresh-you.com

This is a fun evening of learning, tasting, and more! Colleen will prepare some healthy foods for you to eat while sharing with you the importance and power of nourishing ourselves and our families in the most scientifically proven ways, also tasty and fast!

Learn how to decrease blood pressure, aches and pains, cholesterol, and more! Bring a friend, you can grow together and support each other on your journey!