Green Beans Nutrition

Green Beans taste great no matter how they are prepared - boiled, blackened, raw, frozen, canned, sauteed, in casseroles, salads, roasted and grilled.

Who doesn't like green beans? They are a safe dish to serve at just about any lunch or dinner.

How about their nutrition?

While the size and texture of Pole Beans differs from Bush Beans, their nutritional content is the same.

Nutrition-And-You.Com says:

Health benefits of Green beans

Fresh green beans are very low in calories (31 kcal per 100 g of raw beans) and contain no saturated fat; but are very good source of vitamins, minerals, and plant derived micronutrients.
They are very rich source of dietary fiber (9% per100g RDA) which acts as bulk laxative that helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. Dietary fiber has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing re-absorption of cholesterol binding bile acids in the colon.

Green beans contain excellent levels of vitamin A, and many health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin and ß-carotene in good amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.

Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid in the beans, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective UV light filtering functions. It is, therefore, green beans offer some protection in preventing age related macular disease (ARMD) in the elderly.

Fresh snap beans are good source of folates. 100 g fresh beans provide 37 µg or 9% of folates. Folate along with vitamin B-12 is one of the essential components of DNA synthesis and cell division. Good folate diet when given during preconception periods and during pregnancy helps prevent from neural-tube defects in the offspring.

They also contain good amounts of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), and vitamin-C. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals.

In addition, beans contain healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism. Manganese is a co-factor for the anti oxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

Please click the chart below for more information.

Yummy Green Beans, Roasted Finger Food!

Beans are so versatile! Perfect for freezing or canning, they are most delicious when freshly picked - straight from Beasley Farm - where no pesticides have been applied to them!

Bean flowers are sweet little white blossoms. Beasley Bees and other insects pollinate the flowers, and then a tiny bean emerges where each blossom was! They grow under the caring shelter of the plant's large leaves, and the watchful eyes of Joann and Rolo.

Keeping the beans weeded is a full time job, but it means more nutrients are available for the bean plants, which is transferred into the beans themselves.

Green Bean Nutritional Info

Have Roasted Green Beans been invited to your family's snack time, lunch or evening meal? They are simple to prepare, and may be eaten as finger food just like french fries!

Roasted Green Beans

After some experimentation, we found this to be a fun, interesting, and tasty addition to any meal. It also proved to be a great finger-food appetizer and healthy snack. If your family enjoys crispier treats, bake for a longer period of time. This has become one of our favorite side dishes!

One Bunch Fresh Green Beans, washed and dried

One Baggie

Cookie Sheet covered with Parchment Paper for easy cleanup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Your family’s favorite Seasonings

We use a Cajon blend with fresh cracked pepper, kosher salt and some extra cayenne.

Place dried whole beans in baggie. Drizzle a little olive oil in baggie. Add seasonings. Shake well, coating all the beans.

On Parchment Paper-covered cookie sheet, place single row of beans, and put in preheated 400 degree oven. (Steam will escape your oven vents from the fresh beans, so you may wish to turn on the overhead stove fan.)

Bake about 15 minutes, turn beans over. (With the parchment paper, they can pretty much be “shaken” to move the beans).

Bake another 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

We found that cooking up to 40 minutes will produce crunchier, less moist beans. I prefer mine cooked less than 25 minutes, though they were more moist.

Why not try this recipe out before Thanksgiving - it will be a great side dish for the children - and adults :-) - or may be used for snacks instead of heavier foods during the activities before and after the big meal!

Have fun!