Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

The more you eat them, the more you _______.

a) Newt
b) Toot
c) Boot
d) None of the above

I would have to say d) none of the above. Are beans even a fruit? That's the better question.

So it was a typical Manic Monday, I was on the gym's elliptical reading about beans in my Self magazine. The usual, and I came across some really good information about legumes.

I love beans: coffee, jelly, and especially the ones inspired by an organ. Legumes are heart-friendly and high in fiber, so they'll fill you up without filling you out. Self had a great beans buyer's guide that I wanted to share. To buy canned or dried, both have advantages. So without further ado....ahem:

A Buyer's Guide to Beans

When they're in a bag....

• They're cheaper. Buy dried beans and save almost half of what you'd buy if canned. One bag of dried Goya red kidney beans costs $1.80, the same amount in a can in $4; that's a 53% savings!
• You control the salt. Dried beans have little to no sodium. If you add salt to taste, wait until after they're cooked because salted water can make beans tough.
• BPA free. Bagged beans have no BPA (bisphenol-A, a chemical linked with increased risk with breast cancer and heart disease). Some canned goods contain the chemical, yuck.

If they come in a can....

• They're a huge time saver. It takes only seconds to open a can of beans while dried beans needs a night of soaking. Make sure you rinse and drain them well to reduce sodium levels.
• Toots are muted. You read correctly. Beans have sugars called oligosaccharides that we can't digest; as a result, we get gassy. But, the canning process eliminates some of these stinky sugars to reduce those biffffsss...
• You have more options. The canned varieties are wider than the dried versions; ex: green beans.

I leave you on one, final note:

Genius 

Have a great week!