Here at The Honest Bean Co, we're on a mission to get more people eating British fava beans. We know that these nutritional powerhouses play an important part in a balanced diet, so we've put together 4 important reasons as to why you should be eating more of them.
Why you need to eat more beans…
Fava beans, just like broad beans, have loads of impressive health benefits, as well as amazing nutritional value. These humble beans are really versatile, too. Grown and eaten in countries all over the word, they’re full of health-boosting vitamins and minerals – including protein, fibre, iron and magnesium - as well as being utterly delicious.
Here are the top 4 scientifically proven benefits:
- Loaded with vitamins and minerals
- Contain immune boosting nutrients
- Help to lower cholesterol
- Aid weight loss
1. Loaded with vitamins and minerals
Fava beans are small, but mighty. They’re an excellent source of protein and soluble fibre, including smaller amounts of almost all other B vitamins, selenium and calcium.
B vitamins are especially important and can help to prevent birth defects, lift your mood and strengthen your immune system.
Fava beans also contain lots of manganese, a mineral that's been proven to help your body improve bone structure and strength.
Our beans contain over 25g of protein (great for building muscle) and 14g of fibre per 100 grams. See how they stack up to other popular lightly salted snacks below:
Nutritional values for popular healthy snacks per 100g
|
Roasted corn |
Popcorn |
Chickpea puffs |
Crisps |
Fava beans |
| Protein |
7.4g |
5.4g |
15.7g |
5.8g |
25.1g |
| Fibre |
2.7g |
9.2g |
6.3g |
5.5g |
14g |
| Kcals |
423 |
459 |
420 |
513 |
397 |
2. Contain immune boosting ingredients
Eating fava beans regularly can significantly boost your immune system as they’re full of antioxidants which are essential for your body’s immune defence.
In particular, fava beans are rich in vitamins A, C and K.
A and C are powerful antioxidants that aid to prevent strokes, heart disease and cancer, whilst vitamin K helps to prevent excessive blood clotting.
3. Help to lower cholesterol
We already know that fava beans are rich with vitamins and minerals, but did you know they’re high in nutrients that can improve heart health too?
As well as Vitamin A, C and K, they also contain loads of magnesium and potassium that have been proven to relax blood vessels and prevent high blood pressure.
Our roasted fava bean snacks, and pulses in general, have a low glycaemic index which is great for those trying to manage type 2 diabetes in particular. After you snack, you wont experience the same spike in blood sugar like you might do after eating a packet of crisps.
4. Aid weight loss
As well as being full of nutritional goodness, fava beans have satiating properties, due to high amounts of dietary fibre. This means they keep you feeling fuller, for longer - curbing your cravings and helping you to reduce your calorie intake.
Did you know that we're officially weight watchers approved too? Take a look here to find out more.
Summary: looking to get more beans into your diet?
The best and easiest way to get more beans into your diet is with roasted fava bean snacks. Check out our recipe page for ideas and inspiration, as well as pour handy blog post on 'What Are Fava Beans’.
