Red Beans with Brown Rice and Jerk Seasoning and some information on Beans

Beans have so many great nutritional benefits. I go in spurts incorporating them into my diet. I have a goal to use them more. The kefir that I drink everyday, helps them to digest better. They are a great food that can be used many ways.

One thing I have found that works well for me. The more protein I eat combined with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, I crave less junk food and sweets. I heard once that if you crave sweets right after dinner you didn't get enough protein in your meal.

I liked this chart I got from dietbites.com. The link for the chart is underneath it.

A good thing is to make them as the main dish instead of the side. If you put rice with it you have a complete meal. :)

Bean Variety	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Calcium	Iron	Potassium
Fava Beans (Broadbeans)	187 cal	12.92 g	0.68 g	33.40 g	9.2 g	61 mg	2.55 mg	456 mg
Lima Beans, canned	176 cal	10.10 g	0.72 g	33.06 g	13 g	70 mg	4.00 mg	706 mg
Mung Beans, canned	15 cal	1.75 g	0.07 g	2.67 g	0.16 g	18 mg	0.54 mg	34 mg
Navy Beans	258 cal	15.8 g	0.10 g	15.8 g	10 g	128 mg	4.5 mg	670 mg
Pinto Beans	235 cal	15.8 g	0.10 g	44 g	7 g	81 mg	4.5 mg	495 mg
Shellie Beans	74 cal	4.31 g	0.47 g	15.17 g	8.3 g	71 mg	2.43 mg	267 mg
Green Beans, Snap	36 cal	2 g	0.24 g	8.40 g	3.6 g	58 mg	2.16 mg	220 mg
Lima Beans	209 cal	11.58 g	0.54 g	40.19 g	9.0 g	54 mg	4.17 mg	969 mg
Adzuki Beans	294 cal	17.30 g	0.23 g	56.97 g	16.8 g	64 mg	4.60 mg	1,224 mg
Black Beans	227 cal	15.24 g	0.93 g	40.78 g	15.0 g	46 mg	3.61 mg	611 mg
Cranberry Beans	241 cal	16.53 g	0.81 g	43.29 g	17.7 g	88 mg	3.70 mg	685 mg
Great Northern Beans	209 cal	14.74 g	0.80 g	37.33 g	12.4 g	120 mg	3.77 mg	692 mg
Kidney Beans - all varieties	225 cal	15.35 g	0.89 g	40.36 g	11.3 g	50 mg	5.20 mg	713 mg
Pink Beans	252 cal	15.31 g	0.83 g	47.17 g	9.0 g	88 mg	3.89 mg	859 mg
Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)	269 cal	14.53 g	4.25 g	44.97 g	12.5 g	80 mg	4.74 mg	477 mg

http://dietbites.com/diet-2/beans-calories-nutrition-info.html

Red beans are not listed on this chart they have: In 1 cup cooked 100 calories, carbs. 44, fiber 16 g, protein 14 g, sugar 1 g

Some benefits to beans:
1. They are cheap.
2. Great way to get fiber in your diet.
3. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and lots of complex carbohydrates.
4. One cup of cooked beans (most beans) 1/2 the US daily allowance of folic acid, and B vitamin.
5. You can also get magnesium, copper, potassium and zinc.

Ways to help them digest better: We have a missing enzyme alpha-galactosidase that helps break down raffinose sugars that cause gas. Here are some ways that might help.

1. Drinking kefir every day helps things digest easier.
2. Eating more beans may help. Start with them slowly. We need to eat them often for our system to get use to them.
3. Don't eat beans with cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli. They are harder to digest foods.
4. Some people think lentils, black-eyed peas, limas, chickpeas and white beans digest easier.
5. Don't cook beans in the water they soaked in. It is has lots of the sugars in it.
6. Cook beans thourghly. It makes them easier to digest.
7. Mix 1/8 tsp or so baking soda in the the soaking water. It can help get out more of the raffinose sugars.
8. When using canned beans drain and rinse them. That can help get rid of the raffinose sugar as well as 1/2 of the unwated sodium.
9. Beano may help it is alphagalactosidase. The enzyme that digest the raffinose sugar.

Here is the recipe I tried!

Ingredients:

3-4 cups cooked brown rice
1 can red beans drained and rinsed
3 T dried minced onions
3 tsp thyme
3 tsp allspice
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 C water

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix all the spices together.

2. Drain and rinse beans.

3. In a sauce pan on the stove mix, rice, beans, spices and water. Stir till all combined. Then Put on a lid and hit on med-low till completly heated. Don't over stir it will make the rice mushy.

Serve in bowls or plates. Serve with cut up tomatoes, avocados, and chips. (I didn't have any avocados last night.) Here is another bean recipe we liked.