Can You Eat Raw Green Beans?

Can you eat raw green beans?

Green beans are also called string beans and a few more names, are thin looking vegetables having a crunchy texture. They also have small seeds in the pod. There are surely some recipes available for raw green beans and some eats them raw too as these are a type of legumes. But it has also been found out that having raw green beans makes one sick.

This vegetable when consumed uncooked leads to bloating, and vomiting due to the presence of lectin in them. It also leads to diarrhea and nausea. So, it is best to avoid eating this vegetable raw. When you cook raw green beans, it not only neutralizes the lectins it carries but also enhances their taste. Cooking them makes it easily digestible and also balances the content of antioxidants. There are many delicious green beans recipes which are very easy to make. Green beans can also be enjoyed as a side snack apart from making an addition to salads, soups or casseroles. Here is answer for can you eat raw green beans.

Benefits of having cooked green beans

Though it is true that cooking removes some vital nutrients, vitamin C and foliate which is present in it yet, cooking makes it taste good. It also makes this vegetable digestible and increases the bioavailability of this plant compound.

Cooking or boiling at 212°F (100°C) makes the major portions of lectins in it, inactive.

According to research findings, cooking green beans enhances its antioxidant content.

Cooking green beans boosts its bioavailability which is good for heart health and the risks of certain cancers are lowered.

Ways to prepare green beans

Below are mentioned few basic ways to prepare them:

Boiling green beans in a large pot of water. Let them simmer for 4 minutes. Drain the water and season this vegetable with salt and pepper before serving.

After filling a pot with water (up to 2.5 cm), put a steamer basket on the top. Let the water boil while you keep it covered. After that put the beans in and lower down the heat. Cook it for 2 minutes more, keeping it covered.

Green beans can also be cooked using a microwave. Put the beans in a bowl which is resistant to microwave heat. Add water 2 tablespoons and then cover it up under a plastic wrap. Put it in microwave for 3 minutes and check if it has been done, before you serve.

Steam or blanch green beans first and then toss them on balsamic vinegar along with grape tomatoes.

Pour olive oil over green beans and toss them. Then put ground pepper and grated parmesan cheese and put it to roast at 218°C, until it turns tender and crisp.

Make a green salad of steamed or blanched green beans.

You can even pour olive oil on green beans with lemon juice and garlic and sauté.

Dip green beans in low-fat yogurt or into hummus to build in them a flavor of fresh herbs.

Interesting facts about green beans

Apart from being called green beans or string beans, they have multiple other names such as snap beans, snaps and French beans.

Out of the many other beans that are harvested, these beans are distinguished by the fact that these are eaten along with their pods before the seeds turns mature.

While working in Le Roy, New York, Calvin Keened was the first person ever to breed stringless beans in 1894. He is also known as, “the father of stringless bean.”

Their leaves are purple and green in color. The have three lobes having smooth edges to them. Their leaves are in the formation of arrangement on the stem.

It is China who is the biggest manufacturer. Each year it produces and exports green beans over 15 million tons.

The study above thus clearly indicates that it is always better to eat cooked green beans because cooked ones does not cause any hindrance to the digestive system and tastes better too. Here is all about can you eat raw green beans.