Not only does bean soup make a great tasting meal, it offers terrific nutritional value as well. Beans are part of the legume family including beans, peas, and lentils. They provide two kinds of fiber. Soluble fiber acts like a little sponge to mop up the bad LDL and lower cholesterol, a foil against heart disease. You get this kind of fiber in cereal. But beans also contain insoluble fiber that provides roughage that aids digestion and intestinal health, and has been shown in studies to contribute to weight loss.

In addition beans, especially pintos and kidney beans contain omega 3’s, an important nutrient that scientists are finding have hopeful correlations as an anti-inflammatory for arthritis and heart disease, and with mental health. Legumes contribute potassium, magnesium, and folic acid to the diet—minerals chronically deficient in the standard American diet, and vital for the normal functioning of the heart and circulatory system.

The Weston A. Price Foundation, Feb. 2007