#3: The 150 healthiest foods on earth

This is day three of our education of the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Woo Hoo! Some of these you won't be surprised by, some you will. I'll take one out of each food group each day to mix it up a bit.

All information is from the book by jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth".

Day 3: Beans

Beans are one of the best sources of fiber on the planet. And most of us do not get nearly enough fiber. I've been singing the praises of fiber for as long as I've been writing and talking about nutrition. Fiber protects us in ways that probably haven't been fully and completely understood, but we do know that higher-fiber diets are associated with lower risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Now consider this: Our Paleolithic ancestors got anywhere from 50-100g of fiber a day in their diet. The Nathional Caner Institure-not exactly a hotbed of nutritional radicalism--recommends at least 25g a day, as do the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. the position paper on dietary fiber and colon caner of the American Gastroenterological Association states that "reasonable recommendations based on currently available date" argue for the recommended daily fiber intake of at least 30 to 35g a day. Want to knowt he average daily intake in America? Eleven grams.

* Overall, a cup of generic cooked beans will give you anywhere from11g (kidney beans) to 17g (adzuki) per serving
* a cup of cooked beans a day can lower your total cholesterol by 10% in a mere six weeks
* Studies show that large amounts of fiber in the diet improves hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
* Woman who consumed higher intake of common beans or lentils had a signicant reduced frequesncy of breast cancer
* Beans can inhibit cancerl cells from multiplying
* Beans are loaded with antioxidants (Top four scoring foods were three types of beans: red beans, red kidney beans, and pinto beans)
* high levels of folic acid which is good for the heart
* contains: magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium