Apr 19, 2021

Benefits of Yellow Wax Beans in Your Diet

organic yellow wax bean

A staple in many farmers markets and gardens during the warmer months, yellow wax beans -- also called yellow snap beans -- make a versatile and nutritious addition to your diet. A whole cup of chopped yellow wax beans contains just 31 calories, so you can use it to add bulk to meals in a calorie-controlled diet without significantly increasing your calorie intake. Yellow wax beans also offer lots of nutritional value and provide you with several essential nutrients.

Healthy Carbohydrates and Protein

Most of yellow wax beans' calorie content comes from carbohydrates. Each 1-cup serving provides you with 7 grams of total carbs, with 3.4 of those grams coming from dietary fiber. During digestion, some of these carbs break down into sugar and go on to fuel your day-to-day functioning, while the fiber in yellow wax beans helps prevent constipation and regulate your blood sugar levels. Each serving of the beans also provides you with 2 grams of protein, which helps maintain healthy tissues, including your bones and hair.

Iron and Manganese

Yellow wax beans benefit your health by boosting your iron and manganese intake. Both minerals have the ability to activate enzymes, including enzymes needed to produce energy and support your metabolism. Iron plays a key role in red blood cell function, while manganese regulates your body's hormone production and helps you produce connective tissue. Each 1-cup serving of yellow wax beans boasts an iron content of 1.04 milligrams and a manganese content of 0.21 milligram. This provides 13 percent of the daily iron intake and 9 percent of the daily manganese intake for men, according to the Institute of Medicine, as well as 6 and 12 percent of the recommended daily iron and manganese intakes for women, respectively.

Antioxidant Vitamin C

Incorporate yellow wax beans into your diet as a source of vitamin C, an antioxidant essential to good health. Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage to your cells, including your DNA and cell membranes. Shielding your cells from this oxidation keeps them healthy and plays a role in disease prevention, including cancer prevention. Consuming vitamin C also aids in wound healing and supports the strength of your connective tissues, including your bones. Each 1-cup serving of yellow wax beans provides you with 16.3 milligrams of vitamin C -- 18 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 22 percent for women, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Consuming More Yellow Wax Beans

Use yellow wax beans in hearty salads -- combine them with kidney beans, chickpeas, minced onion and a balsamic vinaigrette for healthy three-bean salad, or roast them with summer squash and cherry tomatoes for a roasted summer vegetable salad. You can also roast the beans on their own, adding minced garlic for flavor, or sauté them with your favorite vegetables and lean proteins for a healthful stir-fry. You can even eat yellow wax beans raw -- add a few to your favorite wrap, or snack on them with a healthful dip, such as hummus.

Reference source from Livestrong

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