How to Cook Beans for Maximum Benefit | Science in the Kitchen

Wondering how to cook beans to maximize health benefits? Today we cover the science on cooking beans, best methods for soaking etc. A one-stop shop on how to cook beans and get maximum health benefits

Let’s look at how to cook beans, the soaking, the cooking methods, what the science says is the best way to get the most benefit out of them

soaked beans cook faster, but there are other benefits. Beans contain great nutrients but also lectins and phytates.
beans are seeds, so they store nutrients for when they sprout and need them to grow - that's what phytates are for. but phytates bind to calcium, iron, zinc. Soaking breaks down phytates

how long to soak? Beans swell in water. one day is a good ballpark.

When you soak beans, phytates keep dropping up to 3days of soaking

sprouting: drain soaking water and leave beans in jar or bowl. Sprouting gets rid of the most phytates and makes the nutrients in beans more absorbable; it also increases the antioxidant power of beans, peas and chickpeas etc. exception: lentils (lose antioxidant power with sprouting)

You can sprout beans or just give them a good soak

The water changes color when you soak beans. With black beans it gets dark, with chickpeas it gets yellow. Soluble constituents of beans leach out

Before cooking, bean experts recommend discarding the soaking water to get rid of phytates

Beans & gas: oligosaccharides. they leach out during soaking. discarding the soaking water helps get rid of them to get the best of beans

if not used to eating beans, start slow.

Cooking beans reduces phytates and lectins. Lectins are thermolabile (destroyed with cooking). lectins have been linked to benefits. Should we go buy lectin supplements or eat purified lectins? no. it’s about amount and context. tomatoes are not suddenly made unhealthy for containing lectins

Well--cooked beans are beneficial. their net effect is massively positive

lectins are not a problem

how should we cook beans? some studies suggest steaming over boiling and pressure steaming in particular (steaming basket inside the pressure cooker). regular steaming or pressure cooking generally looks better than regular boiling. lentils are the odd man out, regular old boiling seems to work best

unless you eat raw beans, they’re a great food no matter what. Civilizations have been enjoying their benefits without reading studies on how to cook beans so don’t stress over this

How long to cook beans? ~1h for boiling/steaming, 10-15mins for boiling in pressure cooker

Cooking water: some bean components leach into cooking water, just like during soaking. You can discard cooking water or consume the cooking water e.g. in soup. If you can eat beans like a champ, no prob

Iron: the iron in beans is non-heme, you can enhance absorption with vitamin C (red bellpepper), with onions and garlic or beta-carotene, they all boost absorption of nonheme iron

More ideas for plant protein sources and more on iron, maximize absorption and get all the iron you need

Connect with me:
Animations: Even Topland @toplandmedia

References:
Soaking, phytates, oligosaccharides etc:
Sprouting:
Lectins:
Benefits of Legumes:
Cooking methods:
iron:

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

#NutritionMadeSimple #GilCarvalho

[ama]

5:30 "peace of mind is also huge for health", well said👍

[CH-dizx]

What I love about your videos is that you're never, EVER trying to sell us anything. That's so refreshing! Thanks

[andreivasiliu]

Gil is such a balanced person. very relaxing to watch. thanks for all the work

[tranquil]

I have been a bean lover since childhood. One time as a young boy, instead of a second helping of meat, I asked my mother if I could open a can of beans. She reluctantly agreed but told me, with a sarcastic tone, “You were born to be poor!”. I’ve been poor at times and also wealthy, but always loved to eat beans.

[thomashugus]

I’ve switched from red meat to a plant based diet with a lot of legumes! I really like black beans. Heart attack 3 months ago so I figured I’d give it a go so far so good!😊

[zauberfrosch]

I never thought a video about cooking beans and lentils could be this interesting!

[NutritionMadeSimple]

I learned a lot by researching this! One of my mentors used to say that teaching is learning twice :)

It's incredible how much information is buried in the literature and most people never become aware of even though we payed for much of the research to be done in the 1st place! :)

[Lannie]

😂😂😂😂😂every time the screaming starts my grand dog(husky) howls... thank you for breaking this down

[hey-its-me-bobby-D]

I wish you would do an interview with Steve Gundry. This "Doctor" has been peddling his Lectin Shield (snake oil) for years. It would be nice to hear a debate on the facts of what he talks about. On a completely seperate note. I once ate at a restaurant that served me crunchy (way under cooked) pinto beans; when I complained, the chef tried to tell me he likes to serve his baked beans al dente. I called the health department and the fined him heavily.

[weisscoaching]

I love how you explained that the "net benefit of legumes is positive, regardless of its components like lectins."Even if there was a new component discovered tomorrow that would be pure poison, it does not change the net effect of the food as a whole.

[mariaespiritu]

Great detailed video! If beans were not safe to eat, a lot of us Caribbean islanders would be long gone. I’m from the Dominican Republic and beans are part of every single daily meal. Yes, most of soak them over night. I laugh so hard when I hear about Lectin fears.

[lynnodonnell]

Im a 1955 Boomer. It was just a matter of fact to soak beans before making soup to lower the 'passing gas' thing. That water was always thrown out. We didnt know about the *L* factor.

[boratsagdiyev]

Thanks Andy Bernard ! Your Cornell education is showing.

[richardkremmen]

Thanks for posting. Here's a great way to cook beans: soak about a cup for 12h, dump the water and add more water, dumping that 12 hours later. Then, , fill a glass insulated thermos with boiling water, which should stay in the thermos for at least 10 mins, Cover the beans in a pot with water and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Then, empty the thermos of it's hot water and pour in the boiled beans. Place the thermos in an insulated box of some sort (a laundry basket full of clothes will do), and 12h later, you'll have beans cooked with very little energy.

[johndoh]

This was such a great video that utilizes science to help me know when beans are safe to eat and what to do with the water. I love it because it doesn't sound like some folk knowledge that has some holes in their knowledge.

[R.a.p.h.a.e.l.a]

THANK YOU for addressing the phytate issue! So good to get actionable information rather than one-sided snippets like "legumes are high in iron" vs. "legumes contain phytates that inhibit iron absorption". Depending on what you read it sometimes feels as though it should be outright impossible to get enough nutrients from one's food -- your videos are a ray of light to dispel the murk. Keep 'em coming!

[theouhrik]

This is by far the best video I've seen to get an overall understanding of how to cook beans and why they should be soaked

[BackcountryBeginnings]

This video spurred a question for me. Any nutritional difference between canned and home cooked beans? Canned typically has the large amount of added sodium. Anything else different of note that your fellow nerds discovered?

[elliw.]

Love the humour in this one. Almost as much as the X-files a while ago. Keep it up. Great info as always.

[erntefreude]

Add kombu seaweed to the cooking water and no more gas, plus adding a wonderful amount of minerals, too. You do not need a lot. When I cook beans, I add a piece of kombu seaweed about 1 inch long and wide. Remember, "Beans, Beans, they're good for your heart...."