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Art of Manliness: Sometime You Just Want to Make a Big Pot of Beans

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Sometimes You Just Want to Make a Big Pot of Beans

Close-up of various legumes with the text "In Praise of Beans" overlaying the image, celebrating their versatile use in every delicious big pot recipe.

It was cold here in Oklahoma last week. We got our first snow of the season, and school was canceled.

It’s moments like those when I feel like making myself a big pot of pinto beans.

So I did. And they were good.

I love beans.

Many of America’s greatest philosophers also loved beans.

Henry David Thoreau waxed poetic about beans in Walden and was “determined to know beans.”

Bill Foster, of Waco, Texas, launched himself into internet memedom in 2015 when he turned a grammatically creative Thoreauvian phrase in a post on Bush’s Baked Beans’ Facebook Page: “I;m thinking about thos Beans.”

What is it about the humble bean that makes a man determined to know them and prompts his thoughts to turn to them?

I’ll tell you why I personally like beans, and why you should consider making yourself a big pot of them this week.

In Praise of the Humble Bean

Beans offer protein. Despite being a plant, beans pack a protein punch. A cup of beans contains about 15 grams of protein. While the protein in beans isn’t a complete protein, as it lacks sufficient amounts of certain amino acids that kickstart muscle protein synthesis, if you pair them with other foods that are complete proteins, beans are a cheap and easy way to increase your total protein intake for the day.

Beans are a great source of fiber. We’ve talked about the benefits of fiber in a diet previously. Beans are an excellent source of fiber. A cup of beans includes about 15 grams of it (they contain about the same amount of fiber as protein — what a balanced and nutrient-dense food!). That’s half of your daily recommended intake. The high fiber content of beans can help keep blood sugar in check and reduce cholesterol levels. The combination of soluble and insoluble fiber make beans particularly effective at promoting regular poops and supporting gut health.

Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

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