Help Manage Diabetes
Increase Antioxidant Intake
Up Muscle Mass
Improve Heart Health
Healthy Weight Management
All dry beans are an excellent source of dietary fiber. The same is true of red beans, which provide about 7 to 8 grams per 1/2-cup serving, depending on the variety. They’re a rich source of insoluble fiber — found mainly in the bean’s skins — which promotes digestive health and bowel regularity. It sweeps material through your digestive tract more efficiently and adds bulk to stool, both of which help prevent constipation. Beans are rich in soluble fiber, too, which mixes with water to form a gel-like substance in your gut. Gut bacteria metabolize the soluble fiber, converting it into short-chain fatty acids. The cells in your colon use these fatty acids for energy.
Red beans, like all beans and legumes, also contain resistant starch, a type of complex carbohydrate that acts like dietary fiber in that it “resists” digestion. Like soluble fiber, it contributes to digestive health by feeding the beneficial bacteria living in your colon, which helps maintain colon health.
