Black beans have a very good reputation as being high in fiber and protein at the same time, but many people don’t realize that they can also boost weight loss when they are properly added to a diet. Indeed, they are known as being the “musical fruit”, which can make people hesitant to eat too many of them, but it’s important to note that they are loaded with nutrients, particularly vitamins such as folate and essential minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
Aside from nutrition, black beans can boost weight loss because they are great for overall health – making the body better prepared to lose weight, in general – and they are filled with protein and fiber which is great for filling you up and keeping you feeling satisfied. By staving off hunger pangs, you can best prepare yourself to avoid overeating and stay on track with whatever fat reduction strategy you are using.
Beyond that, a growing body of research is actually offering a direct link between eating beans and giving yourself the ability to boost weight loss results you’re seeing on your scale. Among the leading papers in this area, a review published in the Obesity Research medical journal in 2014 showed that choosing to eat legumes (which include beans) instead of meat as a protein can provide a considerable advantage in shedding the excess pounds. Moreover, that same review pointed out that making small changes, such as eating more beans, can help in losing weight but can also ensure that this pattern of healthful weight management will continue over the long term.
A study published in 2015 in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research pointed out that people who regularly eat canned navy beans would experience improved results on the scale. In that study, women and men who were in a group of people who ate 5 cups of canned beans on a weekly basis saw a greater reduction in body weight and waist size over a period of four weeks than a comparable group of men and women who did not eat that many beans.
Other benefits that both men and women experienced, in that study, included a reduction of cholesterol levels which was greater among those who ate more beans than among those who didn’t eat as many.
Though this doesn’t necessarily imply that eating black beans will magically cause excess weight to melt off the body, it is one more healthful step that can be taken to make it easier to drop the pounds.