Click one of the buttons above, or cut and paste the following link to share this page with your network.
This link will automatically track your referrals to Joyful Belly:
Recipes with Black Beans: Sweet Potato, Kale & Black Bean Saute with Roasted Walnuts
Strong Food Cravings
Satisfying and loaded with protein, beans are nature's remedy for strong food cravings. Beans are one of a few hearty foods that actually help you drop pounds. They are so frequently prepared like a comfort food, so you might be surprised to find that they are an excellent ingredient in a reduction diet. A cup is a filling portion of cooked black beans but contains only 11 percent of the recommended daily allowance of calories, all while offering much-needed protein and fiber.
Beans & Your Bowels
The rich fiber content of beans aids in healthy elimination. 'Bean liquor' refers to the thick broth that forms while cooking beans - evidence of soluble fiber. The soluble fiber dissolves in water and keeps stools soft, acting as a bulk laxative. High in both soluble and insoluble fiber, the insoluble roughage stimulates bowel movements and helps to scrape the bowels. The fiber in beans also reduces cholesterol, all while increasing satisfaction.
Beans get a bad reputation for being the "musical fruit," causing unfortunate expressions after mealtimes, but the gas-forming astringent saponins actually help the legume protect itself against insects. Saponins form the sudsy foam on the surface of a bubbling pot of beans. These saponins also prevent protein digestion, making beans an especially challenging food for some. Vata individuals with insufficient digestive juices in the stomach may experience gas, bloating, and constipation after eating beans. Ayurveda says to avoid foods that make you gassy but also offers these tips to improve the digestibility of beans.
Beans & Spring Blood
Beans are especially medicinal in the early spring. As the body metabolizes a layer of insulating winter fat padding your skin, you may experience a two- to three-week period of small appetite, sluggishness, pressure in the ears, and upper-respiratory congestion. The back of your throat may seem damp and moist. Sweeter foods like bread, potatoes, and desserts only aggravate your discomfort this time of year. Beans to the rescue! The low glycemic index of beans is especially helpful in keeping your blood dry, thin, and congestion free. You may notice that beans even taste sweeter in February - a confirmation that beans belong on your plate.
Recipes with Black Beans: Black Bean Chocolate Smoothie
About Black Beans
Black beans are a rich source of vegetable protein, easing any meat cravings for those seeking satiation. The shiny obsidian quality of the beans are a beautiful addition to any meal, providing an earthy depth and dark contrast. Black beans appear along with rice and tortillas in a variety of southern cultures, from the chilis of Tex-Mex cuisine, to the cumin-bathed dishes of Cuba. You can even find black beans in Chinese food - fermented black beans appear like confetti in masterful stir-fries. Beans have an important role in North American agriculture - along with squash and maize, they constitute the famed three sisters, the trifecta that is the foundation of Native American agriculture.
Buying & Preparation
Although canned foods are forbidden in Ayurveda, in the case of beans, you might find them easier to digest. Sprouted beans are even easier on the digestive system. Soaking beans overnight results in a more even textured bean, and the brilliant purple soaking water is a treat to behold. The power soak method is to boil beans for three minutes, set them aside for 24 hours, and then drain and discard the water and proceed with cooking. Beans contain several toxins which degrade at boiling temperatures. The toxicity of beans increases if they are heated but never boiled.
Cooking Black Beans
Beans are generally bland, but can be spiced to finger-licking perfection. Black beans readily acquire the flavors of spices and other foods cooked with the legumes. Like potatoes, chicken, and grains, beans are an extremely versatile ingredient. They are brilliant in burritos, gorgeous next to green, creamy guacamole, and can even be pureed into a hummus with a dash of smoky chipotle chili and large pinch of toasted ground cumin.
The cooking time of beans averages two to four hours but is substantially reduced with the help of a pressure cooker. Beans are combined with the herb epazote in Latin American to aid digestion. Kombu, a kind of seaweed, can also be added to the beans, making them more nutritious and digestible, as fans of macrobiotic cooking know. Salt, sugar, and acidic foods such as tomatoes may harden uncooked beans, resulting in longer cooking times. Favor adding these ingredients once the beans have softened and are cooked through, though digestive spices like cumin, coriander, and fennel can be added whole early in the process, perfuming the bean pot.
Learn about the health benefits of black beans for FREE
You'll receive free access to our entire website including
healthy recipes,
nutritional diet plans,
medicinal uses of ingredients,
& ayurvedic health tips.
Sign in once and you can use our website indefinitely..
Find out by taking this free, easy quiz.
You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Black Beans' is a good fit.
Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes
at your own leisure to learn more about your body.
AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT
Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances.
With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you.
Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature.
By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health.
See How it Works.
Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics
(gunas).
Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance.
By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick.
Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold).
You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.
Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food.
Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body.
Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food.
Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods.
Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion.
Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste.
One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?
Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.
Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.
Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.
Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.
The 3 metabolic body types
(doshas),
are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.
Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.
Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia.
They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature.
Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.
Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.
Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Black Beans
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary.
The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.
A class of laxative that adds bulk and water to stools. The large size of the stool stimulates peristalsis so the stool can pass more easily through the colon. It is important to drink plenty of water when using high fiber laxatives, as they can be dehydr
A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.
Scrapes fats / cleanses blood vessels by 1) purging bile, 2) strengthening the liver's ability to metabolize fats, 3) by increasing uptake of cholesterol in the liver, and 4) by inhibiting fat cells.
Inositol is an alcohol sugar made naturally in the human body from glucose. It is lipotropic (aiding fat metabilism in the liver). It affects a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, steroid, growth factors and water.
Phytates prevent absorption of nutrients. They are commonly found in all seeds, including nuts, grains, and beans. Sprouting greatly reduces phytate content, as well as long, slow cooking with vinegar.
Black Beans may be beneficial for these symptoms.
The suitability of any food for a condition is highly dependent on the individual.
Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.
Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. Food digests with ease when
right for your body type (dosha). Healthy digestion is seen as the cornerstone of well-being in
Ayurveda. Healthy digestion generally prevents illness. If you do get sick, a strong digestive fire
reduces the severity of illness and increases your resilience. It also improves your mood. Once
you begin eating Ayurvedically, you will feel refreshed, vital and strong.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a
healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda.
His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda,
offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy,
& botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
His wife and family of 7 kids live in Asheville, NC.
“No, canned beans do not need to be soaked. They are already cooked. So when using canned beans, cook them until they are infused with the flavors you are using and hot enough."
Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
On MeWe
On Pinterest
On Facebook
On Twitter
On WhatsApp
On Email
Create a recipe with it
Compare with other beans-legumes
Ayurvedic Perspective
Biocharacteristics & Herbal Actions
Similar foods and herbs
Indications / Benefits
Contraindications / Aggravates
Comments and reviews
