Table of Contents
Introduction
Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.) are nutritious and healthy legumes that provide plant-based protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
Also named butter beans, lima beans are medium-to-large, kidney-shaped beans that come in several colours, including light green, purple, and white.
In addition to increasing your nutrient intake, adding these beans to your diet may support your health by reducing heart disease risk factors, improving satiety, promoting healthy blood sugar levels, and aiding gut health.
Lima Beans
Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) and any legumes (family Fabaceae) are widely grown for their edible seeds. Of Central American heritage, the lima bean is commercially significant in a few countries outside the Americas. There is a wide range of pod sizes and shapes, as well as seed thickness, shape, size, and colour in both bush and climbing forms. The pods are slightly curved, flat, and wide. They are readily differentiated by the distinctive fine ridges in the seed skin that radiate from the “eye.” Butter beans and big white beans are some famous varieties of lima.
The plant rises as a perennial in the tropics and is usually cultivated annually elsewhere. It requires a more extended season and warmer weather than most common bean varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris). See also Bean.
Nutrition
They are a great source of many essential nutrients, including fibre, vitamins and minerals.
One cup (170 g) of cooked lima beans contains:
- Calories: 209
- Protein: 12 grams
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 40 grams
- Fiber: 9 grams
- Manganese: 92% of the daily value (DV)
- Copper: 58% of the DV
- Magnesium: 30% of the DV
- Iron: 23% of the DV
- Potassium: 21% of the DV
- Thiamin: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 19% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 19% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 18% of the DV
Benefits
Beans are packed with nutrients, fibre, and protein, making them a superfood.
They are an excellent source of iron. One cup contains roughly one-quarter of the daily recommended amount. Other health benefits of lima beans include:
1. Diabetes control
Legumes like lima beans are low-glycemic foods, making them an excellent choice for people with diabetes. They are very rich in soluble fibre, which helps the body absorb carbohydrates more slowly and regulate blood sugar levels. Beans also include high grades of resistant starch, a kind of carbohydrate that isn’t digested and further reduces the impact of foods on blood sugar.
2. Digestive Health
It also contain a type of fibre called insoluble fibre, sometimes referred to as roughage. Your body can’t digest this type of fibre. Instead, it adds bulk to the stool to help it pass through the gut more quickly. A diet that’s high in fibre can prevent constipation, which can lead to haemorrhoids. Furthermore, the resistant starch in lima beans provides “good” bacteria in the intestines, which boosts digestive health. A healthy ratio of microorganisms in the gut can reduce the possibilities of colon cancer and other chronic illnesses.
3. Heart health
Lima beans don’t include saturated fats or cholesterol as a plant food. Most of the fat located in lima is polyunsaturated fat. Regularly choosing foods with polyunsaturated fats over saturated fats can lower the risk of cardiovascular conditions. The soluble fibre in lima beans can also improve your heart health by helping reduce LDL cholesterol levels, the unhealthy type of cholesterol that can clog your arteries.
Research shows that fibre may help lower blood pressure and fight inflammation in your body, which can contribute to heart illness and other chronic issues. Also, lima beans are rich in antioxidants named polyphenols that may help improve your heart and blood vessels, boost healthy HDL cholesterol levels, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and fight inflammation.
4. Anaemia prevention
Anaemia is a blood disorder that can be generated by insufficient iron in the diet. Individuals with anaemia don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen, which may lead to fatigue, organ damage, and even shortness of breath. If you’re having your period, you have a greater risk of anaemia. The iron found in lima can assist in preventing iron deficiency anaemia.
5. Brain Health
They are rich in manganese, a key nutrient in brain development. Manganese is necessary to create neurotransmitters that allow brain cells to communicate, and its antioxidant properties protect against brain cell damage.
6. Weight control
In addition to fibre, lima beans are high in plant-based protein. Protein and fibre can help fill you up with fewer calories. Because they digest slowly, it may also allow you to feel full longer and prevent overeating. Studies show that eating a diet high in protein and fibre can help you stay at a healthy weight and improve metabolic health.
7. Supports Gut Health
Fibre is an indigestible carbohydrate concentrated in plant foods like beans. Lima beans are fibre-rich, providing 13.2 grams (g) per cup, which covers 47% of the current Daily Value (DV) for fibre.
Adding fibre to your diet by choosing high-fibre foods, like lima beans, can support your health in several ways. Fibre is particularly important for gastrointestinal health as it helps prevent common digestive symptoms like constipation and promotes a balanced gut microbiome.
Bacteria in the considerable intestine ferment and break down fibre from foods like lima beans. This process creates short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which keep your gut healthy by regulating inflammation, strengthening the intestinal lining, and fueling the cells that line the colon (large intestine).
Fibre also supports the growth of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine and has been shown to protect against digestive diseases such as colon cancer and diverticular disease.
Following a high-fiber diet can help you maintain optimal body weight and lower the risk of common health conditions such as heart disease, breast cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
8. May Improve Blood Sugar Control
The high fibre and protein content of lima beans create them a good choice for blood sugar control. Protein and fibre help you maintain healthy and good blood sugar levels after meals by slowing digestion and releasing glucose into the bloodstream.
In addition to fibre and protein, lima beans contain magnesium, which is essential for carbohydrate metabolism and insulin secretion. Maintaining optimal magnesium levels is critical for blood sugar regulation, and having low magnesium intake can contribute to poor glycemic control.
Choosing fibre, protein, and magnesium-rich lima beans over less nutritious carbohydrate sources, like refined carbs, can help individuals with and without diabetes manage their blood sugar.
A review of 28 studies found that bean-rich diets effectively reduced fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin levels, and haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c)—a long-term blood sugar control marker—and improved insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.
Side effects
Lima beans are nutritious and safe for most people when prepared correctly. Moreover, there are some things to be aware of:
Gas and bloating
Some individuals may find that eating or taking lima gives them gas & makes them feel bloated. This is because of their high fibre content. They also contain a particular type of fibre that, although helpful for gut health, is challenging for the digestive system to break down. You may cut down on the gas by cooking them well. If you’re using dried lima beans, it assists in soaking them in room-temperature water for at least 4 hours or soaking them in the fridge overnight.
Food allergy
People allergic to legumes, including chickpeas, soy, lentils, and peanuts, should avoid lima and any foods that may be cross-contaminated with them. Ask the doctor whether it’s safe for you to have lima beans.
Antinutrients
Antinutrients are combinations discovered naturally in some foods that may interfere with how the body soaks minerals. For most individuals who eat a varied, nutrient-rich diet, reasonable antinutrients shouldn’t cause issues. You can get rid of most of them by soaking & cooking beans. But you should also bypass eating a lot of lima beans and other foods, including antinutrients, in one meal. Individuals at risk of mineral deficiencies, like anaemia or osteoporosis, should ask their doctor whether they need additional precautions.
Cyanide
Lima beans, like many additional legumes, contain a compound called linamarin. When eaten raw or undercooked, linamarin can break down into cyanide. However, if cooked properly, linamarin is safe.
Lima beans vs. butter beans
Lima beans & butter beans are the same but have several different names, including butter peas, gigante beans, double beans, Madagascar beans, and chad beans.
Butter beans & lima beans are essentially the same Bean, with different names used in other regions; “butter bean” is typically used in the Southern US and UK, while “lima bean” is more common elsewhere. The key difference often is the stage of maturity at which the beans are harvested, with younger beans sometimes called “baby limas” and older ones referred to as “butter beans.”
Lima Beans Recipe
Lima beans can be utilised in a combination of dishes. Here are some rare ways to organise them:
- Boil them until smooth; then lightly sauté them in a pan with olive oil & garlic.
- Mix them with vegetables, bell peppers, and corn to make succotash.
- Top pasta or salad dishes for added protein.
- Use a food processor to combine them into a creamy hummus.
Freezing and canned lima beans may be used as is, and dried lima beans may be used as is; regardless, you may also soak them overnight in the refrigerator. This will shrink cooking time and may enhance their texture. Shell fresh lima beans & throw out the pods. Rinse the beans & add them to boiling water or soup until tender to use in different recipes.
Conclusion
They are delicious and nutritious, with fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Adding lima beans to the diet may support the health of the digestive system, heart, and promote blood sugar control. Plus, increasing the intake of beans, like lima beans, may reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, and other common health conditions.
Lima beans work well in many recipes and can boost your favourite recipes’ flavour and nutritional benefits.
