Beans are affordable, accessible and versatile – delicious in dense salads and creamy sauces alike.
豆类物美价廉，易于获取且用途广泛——无论是密集的沙拉还是奶油酱，都美味可口。

They grow worldwide and are good for the planet, enriching the soil they sprout from with nitrogen while emitting fewer greenhouse gases and requiring significantly less land and water per gram of protein than any animal source. Thanks to enormous diversity, more than 400 varieties are used in culinary contexts, some of which are gorgeous to boot.
它们在全球范围内生长，对地球有益，通过向它们发芽的土壤中添加氮来丰富土壤，同时排放更少的热带气体，并且每克蛋白质所需的土地和水资源显著少于任何动物来源。由于巨大的多样性，超过 400 种品种被用于烹饪环境，其中一些品种非常漂亮。

Yet fewer than 20% of Americans eat the daily half cup of beans recommended by health authorities, and in the UK more than 40% of the population eat no beans at all. Crucially, they are healthy – with a capital “H”. What makes them so? And should we make room for more beans in our diet?
然而，美国不到 20%的人吃健康权威推荐的每天半杯豆类，而在英国，超过 40%的人口根本不吃豆类。至关重要的是，它们非常健康——具有大写的“H”。是什么让它们如此健康？我们是否应该在饮食中为更多的豆类腾出空间？

Are beans nutritious?  豆类有营养吗？

Beans “definitely don’t get enough love, in my opinion”, says Roxana Ehsani, a Miami-based registered sports dietitian, “but they’re really a true nutritional powerhouse”. That’s because beans are a good source of both fiber and protein while being free of saturated fat, says Ehsani. One cup of cooked beans will net you about 18g of protein, about 32% of the daily recommended amount for a 155lb adult.
豆类“在我看来，绝对没有得到足够的关爱”，迈阿密注册运动营养师罗克萨娜·埃哈尼说，“但它们真的是真正的营养宝库”。埃哈尼说，这是因为豆类是纤维和蛋白质的良好来源，同时不含饱和脂肪。一杯煮熟的豆类可以提供大约 18 克的蛋白质，约占 155 磅成年人每日推荐摄入量的 32%。

You may have heard that beans are not a “complete” source of protein, meaning they don’t provide all nine of the amino acids our bodies need for optimal health. But Ehsani says that anyone eating beans along with other protein sources throughout the day, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy and/or animal protein, is more than covering their bases.
你可能听说过豆类不是“完整”的蛋白质来源，这意味着它们不提供我们身体为了最佳健康所需的全部九种氨基酸。但埃哈尼说，任何一天中同时食用豆类和其他蛋白质来源的人，如全谷物、坚果、种子、鸡蛋、乳制品和/或动物蛋白，都远远超过了基本需求。

Beans are also packed with “shortfall” nutrients: micronutrients that can fall through the cracks of our typical eating habits. One recent study by the University of Toronto nutrition researcher Yanni Papanikolaou focused on the effect of adding a serving or two of beans to the typical American diet. Papanikolaou, who has been studying the nutritional relevance of beans since 2007, determined that adding one daily serving of beans to the average diet boosts fiber intake by 77%, and is better for restoring shortfall nutrients than taking a multivitamin.
豆类还富含“短缺”营养素：那些在我们典型饮食习惯中容易被忽视的微量营养素。多伦多大学营养学家 Yanni Papanikolaou 最近的一项研究关注了在典型的美国饮食中添加一两次豆类的影响。自 2007 年以来一直研究豆类营养相关性的 Papanikolaou 确定，在平均饮食中每天添加一份豆类可使纤维摄入量增加 77%，并且比服用复合维生素更能补充短缺营养素。

“When you consume a whole food like beans, you not only get several shortfall nutrients, like dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate and choline, but also many other plant bioactives that together have synergistic effects,” says Papanikolaou. “Improved diet quality has been linked to reduced risk of death and a better quality of life.”
“当你食用像豆类这样的全食物时，你不仅会获得多种短缺营养素，如膳食纤维、钾、镁、叶酸和胆碱，还会获得许多其他植物生物活性物质，它们共同具有协同作用，”Papanikolaou 说。“饮食质量的提高与死亡风险降低和更高质量的生活相关。”

Are beans a healthier protein source than red meat?
豆类是否比红肉更健康的蛋白质来源？

While red meat in moderation can be part of a balanced diet, beans are an overall healthier protein source thanks to their high fiber and low fat content.
适量食用红肉可以作为均衡饮食的一部分，但豆类由于其高纤维和低脂肪含量，是更健康的蛋白质来源。

Americans and people in the UK eat about a pound of red and processed meat a week, exceeding the upper limit suggested by health authorities like the American Heart Association by roughly 25%.
美国和英国的人每周大约食用一磅红肉和加工肉，超过了美国心脏协会等健康权威机构建议的上限，大约超出 25%。

Substituting beans for some of that red meat would cut saturated fat intake. An excess of saturated fat is associated with elevated diabetes risk and worse cardiovascular health, raising “bad” LDL cholesterol and promoting the formation of plaque in arteries.
用豆类替代部分红肉可以减少饱和脂肪的摄入。过量摄入饱和脂肪与糖尿病风险升高和心血管健康恶化有关，会提高“坏”的低密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平，并促进动脉粥样硬化的形成。

“When people substitute beans for red meats, their cardiovascular disease risk lessens,” says Dr Teresa Fung, a professor of nutrition at Simmons University and member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. (The committee recently advised the federal government to emphasize beans as a protein source over meat in the official dietary guidelines.) The high fiber content of beans can help lower bad cholesterol, which can reduce the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease.
“当人们用豆类代替红肉时，他们的心血管疾病风险会降低，”西蒙斯大学营养学教授、美国卫生与公众服务部及农业部膳食指南咨询委员会委员特蕾莎·冯博士说。（该委员会最近建议联邦政府强调豆类作为蛋白质来源优于肉类，纳入官方膳食指南。）豆类的高纤维含量有助于降低坏胆固醇，从而减少患心血管疾病的可能性。

Beans’ low glycemic index and “high fiber content can help keep our blood sugar stable so we’re not experiencing spikes or falls” that can contribute to the development of diabetes, adds Ehsani.
“豆类的低血糖指数和高纤维含量有助于保持我们的血糖稳定，避免出现血糖骤升骤降的情况，从而有助于预防糖尿病，”埃斯哈尼补充道。

Can beans help with weight loss?
豆类有助于减肥吗？

Beans’ high protein and fiber content help “keep you full for longer so you’re less likely to overeat” or snack between meals, says Ehsani. They’re also a lower-calorie substitute for red or processed meats.
埃斯哈尼说，豆类的高蛋白质和高纤维含量有助于“让你长时间保持饱腹感，从而减少过量进食或餐间零食的可能性”。它们也是红肉或加工肉类的低热量替代品。

Papanikolaou’s research found that adults who ate about two cups of beans a day “weighed 2.5kg [5.5lb] less and had waists that were 2.3cm [0.9in] smaller than those who avoided beans altogether”, he says.
帕帕尼科洛乌的研究发现，每天吃大约两杯豆子的成年人“比完全不吃豆子的人轻 2.5 公斤（5.5 磅），腰围也小了 2.3 厘米（0.9 英寸）”，他说。

“Adult dietary patterns with increased bean consumption are associated with lower added sugar, improved weight-related outcomes and better diet quality,” he adds.
“增加豆类摄入的成人饮食模式与添加糖摄入减少、体重相关结果改善以及饮食质量提高相关，”他补充道。

Why is adequate fiber intake important?
为什么充足的纤维摄入很重要？

You probably know that fiber is really good for you. But what exactly does it do?
你可能知道纤维对你的健康非常有益。但它具体有什么作用呢？

“Fiber is a prebiotic. It’s fuel for the good gut bacteria” in the stomach, says Fung. The gas we associate with eating beans is “produced by the bacteria in our gut fermenting the bean’s insoluble fiber”, which gels in our intestines, trapping bad cholesterol, she explains. That fermentation process creates beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids, which lower inflammation, support immunity and improve metabolism.
“纤维是一种益生元。它是胃中良好肠道细菌的燃料，”冯说。我们与吃豆类相关的气体是由“我们肠道中的细菌发酵豆类的不溶性纤维”产生的，这种纤维在我们的肠道中形成凝胶，困住坏胆固醇，她解释道。这种发酵过程会产生有益化合物，称为短链脂肪酸，这些酸可以降低炎症、支持免疫力并改善新陈代谢。

If you’re not used to eating a lot of fiber, it can take time to adjust to the growth and activity of your intestinal flora. If you’re interested in increasing your bean uptake, start with a small amount – like a quarter cup added to a wrap or salad, Fung advises: “Let your digestive system and the bacteria get used to it.”
如果你不习惯摄入大量纤维，需要时间来适应肠道菌群的生长和活动。如果你想增加豆类摄入量，可以从少量开始——比如在卷饼或沙拉中加入四分之一杯，冯建议：“让你的消化系统和细菌慢慢适应。”

Over time, this microbial partnership pays off. “Having regular and more poops has numerous benefits,” says Papanikolaou, “including better overall digestive health and function, improved removal of waste and toxic compounds, and reduced risk of bloating and constipation. All of these factors combined lead to a substantial improvement in wellbeing, which translates to a happier individual.”
随着时间的推移，这种微生物合作会带来回报。“定期排便次数增多有很多好处，”Papanikolaou 说，“包括更好的整体消化健康和功能，废物和有毒化合物的清除得到改善，以及腹胀和便秘的风险降低。所有这些因素综合起来，导致整体健康状况显著改善，这转化为一个更快乐的人。”

What is the best way to eat beans?
如何最好地食用豆类？

Dried and canned beans are equally nutritious. However, the latter require less time to prepare. If you’re using canned beans, “rinse off the solution that they’re sitting in”, says Ehsani. “There’s some research showing that rinsing them can reduce the sodium in canned beans by about 40%.”
干豆和罐装豆的营养价值相同。然而，后者准备时间更短。如果您使用罐装豆，埃斯哈尼建议“冲洗掉它们浸泡的溶液”。她说，“有研究表明，冲洗可以减少罐装豆中的钠含量约 40%。”

Dried beans need time to soak and cook. Fung suggests cooking them on the weekend, then freezing them in small portions. “I call these my emergency protein,” she says. “When I’m really busy and I have no time to cook, I can just defrost some.”
干豆需要浸泡和烹饪时间。冯建议周末烹饪它们，然后分成小份冷冻。“我称这些为我的应急蛋白质，”她说。“当我很忙没有时间烹饪时，我只需解冻一些即可。”

Beans contain from 4mg to 7mg of iron per cup, but that iron is a little different, and harder for the body to absorb, than the iron that comes from animal products. To get more plant-based iron from your beans, eating them alongside vitamin C-rich ingredients – for instance, sprinkling them on a vibrant salad dressed with lemon – can help you absorb their iron content better.
每杯豆类含有 4mg 至 7mg 的铁，但这种铁与动物产品中的铁略有不同，人体吸收起来也更困难。为了从豆类中获取更多植物性铁，可以搭配富含维生素 C 的食材食用——例如，将它们撒在用柠檬调味的鲜艳沙拉上——这样可以帮助你更好地吸收其铁含量。

And don’t forget about bean products like tempeh and miso, which undergo fermentation processes that help make some micronutrients like vitamin B12, iron and polyphenols more bioavailable.
别忘了豆腐皮和味噌等豆制品，它们经过发酵过程，有助于使维生素 B12、铁和多酚等微量营养素更容易被人体吸收。