Smart tips for adding beans to your healthy diet

Surely you remember the old childhood rhyme that begins "Beans, beans, they're good for your heart." Well, beans are good for your heart. But these slow-acting foods, rich in complex carbohydrates, are also fantastic for your blood sugar. Here's everything you need to know about cooking with nutritious beans.

• All beans, canned or dried, from black to white and chickpeas to cannellini, can tame both insulin and blood sugar levels thanks to their high soluble fibre content. In a recent study, men and women who ate a meal that included about 170 grams (six ounces) of chickpeas had 40 percent lower blood sugar an hour after eating than those who ate an equal amount of white bread with jam.
• The soluble fibre in beans slows down digestion, leading to a slow, steady blood sugar rise rather than a spike.
• Beans also pack loads of protein, which doesn't raise blood sugar and actually helps your body process the carbohydrates in a meal more efficiently.
• Are they the perfect food for people with diabetes? Perhaps. Just stick with 110 to 125 grams (a half cup) or so per meal, since beans do contain carbohydrates.
• If you're trying to lose weight, eat beans! Not only are they incredibly filling, they also pack a heap of nutrition in a relatively low-calorie package.
• Better still, some of the starch in beans is a type called resistant starch that the body can't even digest, so the calories don't count.
• Beans are also full of folate, a B vitamin that may help reduce some of the nasty consequences of diabetes by helping to keep arteries clean.
• Dietary guidelines recommend eating at least 750 grams (three cups) of beans a week, but most of us lag far behind; we don't average even a third of that. We would have to eat almost triple our current intake to meet the recommendation.

• Beans have the dubious distinction of being the "musical fruit" (translation: they give you gas). That's because they're rich in a specific type of carbohydrate that you can't digest but that provides fodder for the bacteria that live in your intestinal tract.
• Gas is the by-product. It's a big reason why people shy away from beans, but there's no need to do without this blood sugar fixer-upper.
• You can "de-gas" beans by soaking them.
• Short on time? Boil the beans in water for two minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand for two to four hours with the lid on.
• Or, if you have the luxury of planning ahead, soak them for at least 12 hours. After either method, drain, then rinse twice and cover with fresh cold water before cooking.
• Another de-gassing option is to take a natural food enzyme that helps digest the gas-producing compounds in beans and other foods.

• The only black mark for beans is the sodium content of canned beans. Cut it in half by rinsing them in cold water before using.
• Serve bean dip or hummus with a whole wheat pita cut into wedges.
• Mash beans or chickpeas to make a low-GL spread and serve on coarse-ground whole-grain bread.
• Use drained and rinsed canned beans as the basis for easy weeknight bean soups.
• Add canned kidney beans (or any other kind) to green salads.
• Cook up a big pot of black bean chili on the weekend and freeze the leftovers.
• Mix mango, red pepper, onion and black beans for a zesty summer salad. Add some cilantro if you like.

Cooking with beans has never been easier! Keep this guide in mind and get the most out of beans by adding them to your diet.