Black beans show up in everything from taco night to grain bowls, and it turns out there's a good reason they're such a staple. The health benefits of black beans include a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a reduced risk of certain cancers, better digestion, and steadier blood sugar levels. They can also support nervous system function, lower the chances of birth defects, neutralize the effects of sulfites, and even help with impotence in men.
At SFMart, black beans are part of our Organic Rice, Grains & Beans collection, right alongside pantry staples like quinoa and brown rice. If you're looking to build more plant-based meals into your week, this is a good place to start, and if you want to see beans in action, our roundup of 11 Delicious Ways to Eat Black Beans is a great place to start.
What Are Black Beans?
Black turtle beans, more commonly known as black beans, are shiny black members of the bean family Phaseolus vulgaris. They're most commonly found in and were popularized by Latin American cuisine, and go by different names across South and Central America. There are six main types of black turtle beans, and they all have fairly similar appearances and nutritional profiles.
Black beans have been cultivated and cooked for thousands of years in South America, though they didn't cross the Atlantic until the 1500s, when European explorers brought them back. Their nutritional value holds up no matter how you prepare them, though some benefits are reduced when they're turned into soup or exposed to high heat during grinding. Their low cost and easy growth are part of why they became such a staple in South American diets, and more people are adding them back into their meals now that their health benefits are better understood. If you'd like a broader look at beans as a category, our piece on the advantages of eating beans covers the wider picture.
Nutritional Value of Black Beans
Black beans are very high in fiber, protein, and vitamins like vitamin A. They also contain calcium, iron, and manganese. On top of that, black beans have high levels of flavonoids, particularly anthocyanin, which give them strong antioxidant abilities. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids, a good form of cholesterol.
Black beans are a great source of folic acid and have unusually high levels of a rare compound called molybdenum, which is hard to find in almost any other food.
Health Benefits of Black Beans
1. Improve Heart Health
One of the biggest benefits of adding black beans to your diet is their high fiber content. They contain high concentrations of soluble fiber, which has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber attracts water and turns into a gel during digestion, while insoluble fiber adds bulk to food and helps it move through the digestive system faster. Lowering blood cholesterol can reduce the thickening of artery walls, which in turn helps prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Black beans also contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, a good form of cholesterol that helps balance out the negative effects of omega-6 fatty acids, the less beneficial form. Black beans have anti-hypertensive effects too, meaning they can improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and reduce strain on the cardiovascular system.
2. Prevent Cancer
Black beans have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers thanks to the flavonoids found in their seed coat. Researchers have identified eight different flavonoids in that seed coat, three of which are anthocyanins. Flavonoids are the color-producing phytonutrient pigments that act as antioxidants in the body, fighting disease and free radicals.
Anthocyanins in particular are effective at preventing cancer. They can inhibit blood vessel growth to cancerous tumors, slowing the growth of cancerous cells while speeding up apoptosis, or cell death, within those cells. Combined with the other phytonutrients in the seed coat, this makes black beans a genuinely powerful food in the fight against cancer.
3. Relieve Digestive Issues
Black beans are great for digestion because they contain high levels of both protein and fiber, which is part of why they're often called a superfood. Protein and fiber help food move through the digestive tract, allowing waste to be eliminated in a healthy way. They're also digested more slowly than meat, despite having a similar protein content, which helps you stay satisfied longer.
Black beans are also smaller than many other bean varieties, which makes them easier to digest for a lot of people. Over time, regularly adding black beans to your diet allows the soluble fiber to absorb water in your stool, which can help reduce constipation.
4. Control Blood Sugar
Uneven digestive rates can cause blood sugar levels to spike or crash, and black beans help regulate that. The fiber and protein in black beans keep digestion at a steady rate, so you don't get concentrated bursts of nutrient uptake. Instead, nutrients are absorbed gradually throughout digestion.
Unsteady digestion and the blood sugar swings that come with it can be dangerous, even fatal, for people managing diabetes or similar blood sugar conditions, which makes black beans a smart addition to those diets.
5. Boost Nervous System Function
Black beans support nervous system function by providing the amino acids and molybdenum the body needs. They're also high in vitamin B9, better known as folate or folic acid. Folate plays a key role in regulating the amino acids the nervous system relies on.
Research has shown that folate deficiency can raise homocysteine levels, which is a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Regularly eating black beans can help maintain healthy folate levels and lower that risk.
6. Treat Sexual Dysfunction
Black beans are extremely high in molybdenum, a rare mineral that isn't found in many foods. Molybdenum matters for a number of reasons, but a big one is its ability to break down and detoxify sulfites, the acidic compounds found in wine, dried fruit, and some vegetables.
Many people are sensitive to sulfites, and the reaction can include headaches and disorientation. The molybdenum in black beans neutralizes those effects so people can enjoy those foods again. Molybdenum also supports cell energy production and nervous system development.
On top of that, molybdenum has been shown to reduce impotence and erectile dysfunction in older men when consumed regularly, and it's been linked to increased energy and interest in sexual activity later in life.
7. Improve Prenatal Health
Another benefit tied to black beans' high folate content is its role in protecting infants in the womb. Folate levels in a pregnant woman's body are essential for the normal, healthy development of the fetus, particularly the brain and spinal cord. Because of this, black beans are highly recommended for pregnant women looking to support a healthy pregnancy through diet.
While you are at it, you might want to explore the health benefits of organic rice, answering your question of ‘Is organic rice good for you?’. And you might also want to look into the health benefits of brown rice and white rice separately too. We have very informative blogs compiled for your convenience.
Side Effects of Black Beans (and How to Avoid Them)
Phytic Acid
Beans naturally have a seed coat that protects their nutrients from predators and insects while growing, and one component of that coat is phytic acid, which protects the seed from germinating too early. If phytic acid isn't removed before eating, it can bind to common minerals like calcium, magnesium, and copper, preventing your body from absorbing them. Left unabsorbed, these minerals can build up and cause issues ranging from minor digestive irritation to more serious problems like hormonal disruption and impaired brain function. The fix is simple: soak your beans in water and cook them properly to neutralize the effects of phytic acid.
Oligosaccharides
Black beans contain a complex sugar called oligosaccharides, and the human body doesn't produce the enzyme needed to break it down naturally. Because of that, oligosaccharides ferment in the digestive system and produce methane, which the body releases in less-than-pleasant ways. Soaking the beans in water and cooking them thoroughly can significantly reduce oligosaccharide levels, along with reducing other hard-to-digest components of the beans.
How to Prepare Black Beans
One popular preparation method is soaking black beans in water before cooking or eating them. Studies show that soaking removes certain phytates and tannins, which lowers the beans' antinutrient content while helping them retain beneficial resistant starch and lose some of their total carbohydrate content. In some parts of the world, beans get their own dedicated place in the food pyramid because they're such a vital part of the local diet.
Black beans are especially popular among vegetarians, since combining them with brown rice creates a complete protein meal. Getting enough protein is a common challenge in vegetarian diets, and black beans paired with brown rice offer a simple, inexpensive solution. If you already have brown rice in your pantry, it's worth reading our breakdown of quinoa vs rice to see how it stacks up nutritionally alongside beans as part of a complete plant-based meal. If you're stocking up on whole grains too, our guide on hulled vs unhulled sesame seeds is worth a look for rounding out your pantry with more nutrient-dense staples.
