Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are a great source of antioxidants and are a fantastic way to help you detox. Antioxidants help to reduce the amount of harmful free radicals in the body which are harmful substances that break down important cells in the body.
Kidney beans as an antioxidant
We measure the effectiveness of antioxidant foods by way of the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score and this method was developed by the National Institute of Health. The ORAC score of kidney beans is 8,459 and this indicated that their capacity to absorb free radicals is very high, thus they may be effective in preventing illnesses. To give you an idea of how high this is, blueberries which are also classed as a highly effective antioxidant receive an ORAC score of 6,552 in comparison, so you can see kidney beans are a food that are a must in your diet.
How can I get them into my diet?
Beans are great in the diet because they are filling and can create some really hearty meals at low cost. You can have cooked kidney beans in salads, stews and risottos. If you find them a bit plain, you can always add tomatoes and chillies to make them burst with flavour.
One of the most popular recipes containing kidney beans is the famous chilli con carne. Check out this great recipe from the BBC website here.
