San Diego Nutrition and Health

You may already know that beans are a great source of fiber and a low-fat form of protein, but did you also know they are a good source of antioxidants? 

In the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (November 2003), we can find the results of a study conducted by a group of researchers at Michigan State University.  In this study, the researchers tested the antioxidant activity of the flavonoids found in the skin of beans.  The researchers tested 12 different varieties of dry beans. 

The bean with the most antioxidant activity, gram for gram, was black beans.  Red beans came in second followed by brown, yellow and then white beans.  Clifford W. Beninger, the lead investigator for the study said the darker colored the skin of the bean, the higher the amount of antioxidant activity.  “Black beans are really loaded with antioxidant compounds. We didn’t know they were that potent until now,” says Beninger.

Next time you’re having taco salad or burritos for dinner, try using black beans and boost your antioxidant activity.