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Produce of the Week

Produce of the Week: Green Beans

From helping prevent many types of disease to supporting the health of your digestive system, green beans nutrition is a dynamic fighter to add to your diet because green beans are some of the best high-antioxidant foods on the planet. And unlike many green veggies, you can even freeze them and maintain their nutritional value. One of the factors that makes green beans so good for your health is the level of starch and fiber. Instead of being totally processed right away by your digestive system, some nutrients in green beans are absorbed and continue to have great impact on your health, long after the rest of the bean has been digested and expelled.

Nutrients present in green beans help exert anticarcinogenic properties in the body. This places green beans among the strongest cancer-fighting foods. Research also supports that in addition to preventative measures, peptides in green beans can also slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.

Due to of the type of dietary fiber and carbohydrates found in green beans nutrition, these veggies are considered a low glycemic index food because the carbohydrates release slowly in your system and help avoid spikes and dips in glucose levels in your blood.

Beans are among the best whole-grain foods to eat, especially if you’re monitoring your glucose levels and are already at risk for obesity or diabetes, because other popular whole-grain foods like baked potatoes and rice often have a high glycemic index, usually somewhere between 50 and 85, whereas beans score a low 20 on the scale. Not only do foods like green beans affect your potential risk of diabetes, but if you already have diabetes, your diet is crucial to managing this chronic condition. That’s why green beans should be part of any diabetic diet plan. Low glycemic index diets are strongly associated with decreased insulin sensitivity and regulate the diet-insulin responses of people with diabetes and prediabetes, and can also help your body properly process insulin.

Added Bonus

Adding green beans to a balanced meal is clinically proven to help you lose weight by reducing your blood glucose levels, making you feel full and slowing the secretion of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, that causes your brain to desire to eat again.