14 Health Benefits Of Lima Beans While Pregnant And Normal Cases

benefits of Lima beans while pregnant

Lima beans, also known as butter beans or sieve beans, are ranked at the group of popular and beloved legumes all over the world.  This type of beans is believed to be cultivated in the South America about 4,000 years ago and spread to the North and Central America later and easily found in the summer and fall. Lima beans own a delicate flavor with their starchy and buttery texture, which makes them used as complements in various dishes.

Not only be Lima beans are used in food recipes but they are also applied to the treatment and prevention of many conditions and diseases due to the health benefits of Lima beans. They are the rich sources of protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidant compounds that are all essential for the existence and growth of the human body. Therefore, they help prevent heart diseases, stimulate blood circulation, protect against diabetes, defend against chronic illness, improve digestion, energy levels, and aid growth and repair.

It is time now for VKool to show you 14 health benefits of Lima beans while pregnant and normal cases. Through a number of studies, this type of beans has been proved to be very beneficial for the whole health including maintaining the body form. For those who don’t know or wonder how good Lima beans are for the human health, just spend a few minutes reading the article to have more information!

14 Health Benefits Of Lima Beans While Pregnant And Normal Cases

1. Improve Heart Health 

benefits of lima beans - improve heart health

Improving the heart health is known as one of the most important benefits of Lima beans for the human health. It is because this type of beans is very rich in dietary fiber, which helps scrape cholesterol then remove it from the body and also a perfect source of folate and magnesium, which helps regulate the blood pressure similarly to the way potassium acts. The enough amount of magnesium plays a role in decreasing strain on the heart, relaxing the blood vessels thereby preventing the risks of strokes and heart attacks. Meanwhile, folate presented in Lima beans is also related to lower homocysteine levels whose high one can cause coronary heart diseases as well, thus is so helpful for the heart health indeed.

Learn more: How to maintain a healthy heart and prevent disease naturally

2. Lower Risks Of Cardiovascular Disease

Along with the ability to improve the heart health, lowering the risks of cardiovascular disease is also one of the health benefits of Lima beans. This positive effect of Lima beans has been proved by a recent study conducted in many countries throughout the world. Among 16.000 middle-aged men, up to 82% was found to get a reduction in the risks of cardiovascular diseases, which may be a surprise figure.

As mentioned above, Lima beans have a high level of magnesium which aids the heart in naturally blocking the calcium channels. The more manganese exists in the heart, the more space the arteries and veins have to breathe indeed. In addition, it can act at a relaxed pace thereby helping improve the blood flow with oxygen to various organs throughout the body.

See more: Top foods for hypertension patients

3. Stimulate Circulation 

Stimulating the blood circulation is another of the health benefits of Lima beans. This type of beans is believed to have a high content of iron, which makes them ideal for the circulatory system indeed. it has been estimated that a small cup of these beans can provide the consumers a quarter of the iron demand per day for the human body. As you all know, iron is an essential for the production of blood cells in particular and for the whole health in common because just a minor deficiency of this component can cause dangerous symptoms. More clearly, the more oxygenated blood is brought throughout the body, the quicker an illness and injury can heal and repair and higher energy levels and vitality are.

Because of various benefits of Lima beans among their richness of iron, they are highly recommended to the diet of many groups of people. For example, they are very helpful for menstruating women who often suffer from an iron deficiency because of constant blood loss along with hemoglobin levels. And for pregnant and lactating women who need a double iron content requirement, Lima beans is really a perfect source of iron to nourish 2 living organisms indeed. In addition, people with anemia as the result of iron deficiency should also consume this type of beans to prevent the weakness, fatigue, nausea, and headaches.

Read more: Common circulatory system diseases

4. Prevent Chronic Illness

Preventing chronic illness is another of the benefits of Lima beans for the health, which is also based on the existence of manganese known as an important enzyme cofactor for a range of substances in the body. Therefore, it may aid those antioxidant compounds in removing free radicals in the body and reducing oxidative stress as much as possible. In other words, the higher concentration of manganese in lima beans you consume, the more effectively you can protect yourself against dangerous things like macular degeneration, cancer, and many other conditions.

Learn more: Tips How To Treat Bacterial Infection Naturally Without Antibiotics

5. Protect Against Breast Cancer

Protecting women against breast cancer is known as another of the health benefits of Liman beans, which makes them ideal for the female. This positive effect of Lima beans just comes from their small amounts of isoflavones that are considered as a useful compound to lower the development of breast cancer. Women always try to find healthy foods for their health in common and reproductive system, in particular, so they should consume this type of beans on a regular basis to prevent dangerous breast cancer as well as other conditions and diseases due to various benefits of Lima beans. And an advice is replacing soybeans by Lima beans in your daily diet.

See more: Breast cancer prevention diet & nutrition tips for all women

6. Fight Neurodegenerative Disorders

According to the studies before, Lima beans are particularly high in molybdenum, a rare mineral very helpful for the production of cell energy and maturity of the nervous system. In addition, this type of beans also supplies the brain with a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and necessary amino acids for its proper functioning. For example, they contain folate or folic acid that plays an important role in regulating specific amino acids required by the nervous system. And it has been indicated that a deficiency of dietary folate could raise the homocysteine levels, which is considered as a dangerous precursor of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The benefits of Lima beans for neurodegenerative disorders also come from the exhibition of folate, which is estimated that a cup of these beans contains about 40% of the required value of folate of the human body a day.

Read more: Common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

7. Help Overcome Sulfite Sensitivity

There are quite many people, in fact, highly sensitive to sulfite that is known as a common type of preservative used in salads served in salad bars. In addition, wines, some vegetables, and dried fruits also contain sulfites that may cause side effects like headaches, rapid heartbeat, and disorientation just after a few minutes of consumption. People are often not aware of their symptoms of sulfite sensitivity indeed and it may take a long time to get properly diagnosed.

Among the benefits of Lima beans, helping you overcome this sensitivity or detoxifying sulfites is a typical one. This positive effect also bases on the great source of molybdenum that helps you detoxify these sulfites when you are diagnosed with their sensitivity and remove other free radicals out of the body. A cup of Lima beans is estimated to contain 313% of the daily required value of molybdenum, so you should consume one every 3 days to get the best result.

8. Prevent Diabetes 

Various health benefits of Lima beans also include preventing the risks of diabetes, which bases on the dietary fiber, an essential supplement for the body because of different reasons. Not only do Lima beans contain normal fibers but they also include cholesterol-lowering fiber that helps maintain a healthy heart. More clearly, fiber helps regulate the absorption of nutrients through the body and optimize the sugar levels in the blood thereby managing diabetes. And a stable and healthy insulin or glucose balance helps you reduce the risks of experiencing peaks and dips in blood sugar so that preventing the development this disease as well as managing the symptoms already diagnosed.

In fact, people who have been diagnosed with low production of insulin or hypoglycemia are highly recommended to consume Lima seeds to get benefits. In addition, if you consume them along with whole grains, they are naturally fat-free and beneficial for your health, therefore, try to consume a bit Lima beans, after a meal is preferred, to maintain your insulin and sugar levels in the blood since then preventing diabetes.

Learn more: Blue heron guide to beat diabetes review

9. Improve Digestion

Being a good source of fiber is the reason makes improving digestion one of the benefits of Lima beans for the health. In fact, fiber plays a very important role in regulating the digestion and eliminating the food particles in your body and promoting the gastrointestinal tracts as well. More clearly, it helps bulk up stool thereby preventing the risk of diarrhea and encouraging peristaltic motion to digest and move food in the colon. In addition, it helps optimize the nutrient absorption by the gut since then making sure you have as much food as possible. Because Lima beans are very rich in fiber, which has been estimated that a cup of them contains more than 50% of the required intake of fiber per day, you should consume them on a regular basis to improve your digestive health.

10. Supply Energy

benefits of lima beans - supply energy

Supplying energy to the human body is another of the health benefits of Lima beans. This type of beans contains an impressive content of protein that will be stored in the body as volatile and then gradually transferred into accessible energy providing for the normal activities. In addition, they can supply the body with steady, immense, and slow-burning energy.

Not only do Lima beans contain a large amount of protein but they also include manganese that helps boost the cognition thereby keeping you focusing on works and optimizing the production of energy in the body as well. More clearly, this mineral helps the body speed up the process of antioxidant production in your body so that disarming the production of harmful free radicals and leading to much more production of energy in the body. And along with protein and manganese is iron, a mineral essential for stimulating blood cell circulation, increasing oxygenation and boosting energy.

11. Aid In Weight Loss

benefits of lima beans - aid in weight loss

While weight gain is always a problem of people who are trying to find some fat-free foods for their diets, Lima beans are really ideal ones. Aiding people in losing weight is a typical one of the health benefits of Lima beans.
The most common concern is that the more nutrients people take in, the more risks they will face weight gain but the consumption of lima beans is really safe because they contain no amount of fat indeed. In addition, this type of beans also includes a very low content of calorie which ensures you to get other whole foods with the similar quantities as before.

As mentioned above as one of the benefits of Lima beans, they supply the body with a high level of energy due to the existence of protein. That means although those beans are fat-free, they can also provide your body with enough energy for daily activities indeed. In fact, one cup of lima beans is estimated with 15 grams of protein, which is associated with the other benefit from not consuming fat during the process.

Along with protein, Lima beans contain a good source of carbohydrates that not only supply the body with nutrition and energy but also cause no effect of gaining weight later. While carbohydrates are mostly found in sugar, you can also take advantage of them by consuming Lima beans. By this way, your metabolism will work properly and then lead to a weight loss.

12. Be Healthy For Pregnant Women

Being a rich source of vitamins and minerals is the factor making aiding the pregnant women health one of the benefits of Lima beans. In fact, they are considered to contain a wide range of vitamins like Vitamin B6, Thiamine, Niacin, and Pantothenic Acid that are all required to act as co-enzymes in metabolizing proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Therefore, they are really healthy food for all the people especially for pregnant women who need double nutrients for their body and babies.

In addition, they are very rich in folates essential for the synthesis and division of cells. It is estimated that 100 grams of Lima beans contain 995 of the folate requirement indeed. An adequate amount of this mineral is necessary during the process of conception, pregnancy, and lactation besides protecting the babies against developing neural tube defects as well.

Learn more: Foods That Cause Miscarriage in Early Pregnancy

13. Aid In Growth And Repair 

Aiding the body in growing and repairing process is known as another of the benefits of Lima beans for the health. As mentioned above, they contain a large amount of protein, about 1/3 of your daily recommendation in just a single cup, which plays an important role in each process of the body. In fact, proteins are always considered as the building blocks of the body, so people need them for everything from the development of cells and tissues to the bone strength, cognition, and energy. Therefore, if you want to experience a normal growth and development or quicker recovering from an illness and injuries, try to boost your protein levels by consuming Lima beans as a vegetarian-friendly option.

14. How To Select And Store Lima Beans?

To take the best benefits of Lima beans, you should be careful from the step of selecting and storing them. Because they are available in dried version, you may buy them in bulk and store them to use when necessary.

  • The cans of Lima beans must be well sealed to ensure the freshness, no moisture and no damage of insects into.
  • The seeds must remain in whole and not cracked version.
  • When choosing Lima beans, you have to choose the seeds that are dark green, firm, and shiny. They should have no wrinkles, spots, or yellow skin on them.

After purchasing Lima beans, you should know how to prepare them to ensure the real benefits of Lima beans for the health.

  • Spread Lima beans out to remove remained stones, damaged seeds, or any forms of impurities then put them into a large strainer leaving a few minutes then rinse off to eliminate any final impurities.
  • Wash Lima beans thoroughly to remove dust from the environment.
  • Before using Lima beans for cooking, remember to soak them in water overnight or at least 8 hours then boil them quickly in a pressure cooker or pan fulfilled with water to submerge them.
  • Lima beans are later used in soups and main course, or anything that is appetizing and also healthy.
  • Keep the purchased Lima beans carefully in your home, particularly in the moist climate.

Recommended article: Benefits of spinach for hair, skin, and health

After reading the article on 14 health benefits of lima beans while pregnant and normal cases in our main Health page, hope that you can see how well this type of beans brings to your health so that adding them to your daily diet along with other kinds of food. Please let us know if you have any question by leaving them below and share with us other health benefits of Lima beans if you know or experience.

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