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- Beans are rich in fiber, prebiotics and nutrients that support gut health and improve digestion.
- Adding beans to meals is easy and versatile, from soups to dips or even blended into sauces.
- Beans promote a healthy microbiome, reduce disease risk and help with weight maintenance.
Beans are everywhere right now. They’re a key player in many soups, chilis, tacos and salads, and the star of the show in bean skillets, dips and alongside rice as a side dish. While they bring plenty of creamy, hearty flavor to every recipe they’re in, that’s far from the only thing beans are good for.
Beans—whether they’re black, navy, pinto, cannellini or any other variety—happen to be an excellent ingredient for supporting gut health. They’re not just a great source of dietary fiber; beans also contain prebiotics and other essential nutrients that work toward improving your digestion. While a fruit or vegetable may seem like the obvious choice for the best food for gut health, beans are taking the top spot—here’s why.
Why Beans Are So Good for Your Gut
When you think about gut health, fiber is probably the first nutrient that comes to mind. Fiber is essential to improving our digestion, but 95% of Americans don’t eat enough of it. Incorporating more beans into your eating pattern can help with this—1 cup of canned white beans has around 12 grams of fiber, that’s close to half of the Daily Value for fiber. “The fiber in beans helps keep you regular and supports good gut bacteria,” says Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD.
Their fiber content is a crucial reason why beans are such a good option for gut health, but it’s not the only nutrient they offer. Beans are rich in resistant starch, potassium, iron and other nutrients that help maintain a diverse microbiome in your gut. Eating beans can also help reduce your risk of obesity, diabetes and help promote healthy weight maintenance. What’s not to love!
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Ways to Enjoy Beans
Beans are one of the most versatile foods out there. Thanks to their mild flavor, they don’t typically overpower the other elements they share the dish with. Plus, there are so many different varieties to choose from.
Making a recipe where beans are the main attraction, like in bean skillets or bean soups, is a delicious way to get your daily intake. But it’s also super easy to add them to the foods you already enjoy on a day-to-day basis. “Add beans to a bowl, make a breakfast hash or use them as a taco filling,” says Lachtrupp. “The possibilities are endless.” If you don’t like the texture, you don’t even have to eat them whole. Blend cooked or canned beans in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender and add the resulting puree to your favorite pasta sauces, soups and stews and creamy dips—it’s a hack that bean lovers and haters alike can appreciate.
Recipes to Try
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Other Ways to Support Your Gut Health
Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water, especially when you’re increasing your fiber intake, is essential for healthy digestion. Staying adequately hydrated helps everything move through your digestive system, and it can also help improve your gut microbiome health. Drinking a glass of water before and after meals and right after you wake up is a great strategy to help you establish a routine of drinking water.
Get Moving
Anything from gentle movement to an intense workout can be helpful for keeping you regular. “Exercise does more than just support a healthy heart,” says Lachtrupp. “Research shows that regular exercise can improve and diversify the gut microbiome, and if you’re backed up, being physically active can help stimulate the muscles in the digestive tract to help you go.” Taking a short walk after meals is a quick but easy way to introduce more movement into your day.
Prioritize Fermented Foods
Many fermented foods are excellent sources of probiotics, which can help add diversity to the good bacteria in your gut. Kimchi, kefir, yogurt and kombucha are all examples of fermented foods, and all are easy to incorporate into your meals. Having a side of kimchi or yogurt with a meal or drinking a glass of kefir or kombucha is a simple but effective way to continue to boost your digestive health.
Our Expert Take
Fruits and veggies are still beneficial to digestive health, but the No. 1 food you can add to your eating pattern to support your gut health is beans. No matter what variety, beans are super easy to integrate into your day-to-day, and they bring plenty of dietary fiber, vitamins and other nutrients that help support good bacteria in your gut, increase regularity and improve your overall health. So, if you’re taking steps to prioritize your gut, start by adding beans to your grocery list.
Add EatingWell
as a preferred source on Google to see more of our stories on Google News and in search results.
- Beans are rich in fiber, prebiotics and nutrients that support gut health and improve digestion.
- Adding beans to meals is easy and versatile, from soups to dips or even blended into sauces.
- Beans promote a healthy microbiome, reduce disease risk and help with weight maintenance.
Beans are everywhere right now. They’re a key player in many soups, chilis, tacos and salads, and the star of the show in bean skillets, dips and alongside rice as a side dish. While they bring plenty of creamy, hearty flavor to every recipe they’re in, that’s far from the only thing beans are good for.
Beans—whether they’re black, navy, pinto, cannellini or any other variety—happen to be an excellent ingredient for supporting gut health. They’re not just a great source of dietary fiber; beans also contain prebiotics and other essential nutrients that work toward improving your digestion. While a fruit or vegetable may seem like the obvious choice for the best food for gut health, beans are taking the top spot—here’s why.
Why Beans Are So Good for Your Gut
When you think about gut health, fiber is probably the first nutrient that comes to mind. Fiber is essential to improving our digestion, but 95% of Americans don’t eat enough of it. Incorporating more beans into your eating pattern can help with this—1 cup of canned white beans has around 12 grams of fiber, that’s close to half of the Daily Value for fiber. “The fiber in beans helps keep you regular and supports good gut bacteria,” says Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD.
Their fiber content is a crucial reason why beans are such a good option for gut health, but it’s not the only nutrient they offer. Beans are rich in resistant starch, potassium, iron and other nutrients that help maintain a diverse microbiome in your gut. Eating beans can also help reduce your risk of obesity, diabetes and help promote healthy weight maintenance. What’s not to love!
Related Stories
Ways to Enjoy Beans
Beans are one of the most versatile foods out there. Thanks to their mild flavor, they don’t typically overpower the other elements they share the dish with. Plus, there are so many different varieties to choose from.
Making a recipe where beans are the main attraction, like in bean skillets or bean soups, is a delicious way to get your daily intake. But it’s also super easy to add them to the foods you already enjoy on a day-to-day basis. “Add beans to a bowl, make a breakfast hash or use them as a taco filling,” says Lachtrupp. “The possibilities are endless.” If you don’t like the texture, you don’t even have to eat them whole. Blend cooked or canned beans in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender and add the resulting puree to your favorite pasta sauces, soups and stews and creamy dips—it’s a hack that bean lovers and haters alike can appreciate.
Recipes to Try
Other Ways to Support Your Gut Health
Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water, especially when you’re increasing your fiber intake, is essential for healthy digestion. Staying adequately hydrated helps everything move through your digestive system, and it can also help improve your gut microbiome health. Drinking a glass of water before and after meals and right after you wake up is a great strategy to help you establish a routine of drinking water.
Get Moving
Anything from gentle movement to an intense workout can be helpful for keeping you regular. “Exercise does more than just support a healthy heart,” says Lachtrupp. “Research shows that regular exercise can improve and diversify the gut microbiome, and if you’re backed up, being physically active can help stimulate the muscles in the digestive tract to help you go.” Taking a short walk after meals is a quick but easy way to introduce more movement into your day.
Prioritize Fermented Foods
Many fermented foods are excellent sources of probiotics, which can help add diversity to the good bacteria in your gut. Kimchi, kefir, yogurt and kombucha are all examples of fermented foods, and all are easy to incorporate into your meals. Having a side of kimchi or yogurt with a meal or drinking a glass of kefir or kombucha is a simple but effective way to continue to boost your digestive health.
Our Expert Take
Fruits and veggies are still beneficial to digestive health, but the No. 1 food you can add to your eating pattern to support your gut health is beans. No matter what variety, beans are super easy to integrate into your day-to-day, and they bring plenty of dietary fiber, vitamins and other nutrients that help support good bacteria in your gut, increase regularity and improve your overall health. So, if you’re taking steps to prioritize your gut, start by adding beans to your grocery list.
Add EatingWell
as a preferred source on Google to see more of our stories on Google News and in search results.
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