Not only providing plant protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, green beans also contain many plant compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids.
In recent years, studies have begun to pay attention to the ability to support fat metabolism, antioxidation and liver protection of this bean.
One point to note is that green bean water and intact green beans do not have the same nutritional value. When cooked and then filtered out the residue, most of the fiber and a part of the protein and compounds in the beans will be removed.
Meanwhile, fiber is an important component of a diet that is beneficial for metabolism. Priority should be given to low-processed foods, including beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and natural fiber-rich food sources.
WHO also recommends that adults consume at least 25 g of natural fiber per day.
Therefore, if the goal is to support liver health and control weight, eating cooked green beans and keeping the seeds may be more beneficial than just drinking filtered water from beans.
If you like to drink green bean water, you can cook whole green beans with water, without or with very little sugar added. After the beans are soft, you should eat the whole bean instead of just filtering out the water. This is a way to help utilize protein and fiber better.
Conversely, green bean sweet soup with a lot of sugar, bottled green bean juice with sugar or green bean drinks mixed with condensed milk should not be considered "liver-nourishing" drinks.
High free sugar content can increase total dietary energy and is not suitable for overweight or fatty liver people.
WHO recommends limiting free sugar to below 10% of total daily energy and encourages prioritizing low-processed, nutritious foods.
In general, green beans are a food worth including in a healthy diet, helping the liver to be healthier if used properly.
The most reasonable way to use it is to cook green beans low in sugar, prioritize eating whole beans and combine with a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, limit alcohol and super processed foods.
For people with fatty liver or liver disease, green beans are only part of the diet, not replacing medicine and the doctor's treatment regimen.
