Last Updated on May 4, 2023 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
Health comes first. A healthy mind and body is the key to a good life. In today’s time and age, we often neglect the importance of a good diet with vegetables and nutritious foods.
Out there are various options available that can fulfil the needs of the body and help us achieve our health goals. Among an endless lot of veggies, cluster beans also top the list.
You might be wondering:
- What are cluster beans?
- Are they healthy?
- What is their nutritional composition?
- What are the health benefits of cluster beans?
We will tell you all you need to know about these green beans. So let us get started!
What are Cluster Beans?
Belonging to the family of beans, the cluster beans are one of the healthy green veggies that can bring taste and nutrition to your plate.
They are commonly known as Guar, Gavar, Gawar, Gavarfali, etc. in India. It is a kind of legume.
It is not just a green vegetable, but it is also sued to derive guar gum. The mature cluster beans are left to dry and then used to produce guar gum. It is widely grown and used in Indian regions.
They are a fresh parrot green in the shade. These beans are long, flat, and taper more on one end than the other.
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The younger bean pods are used in curries, salads, and other Indian dishes.
The guar gum from these cluster beans is often used as thickening agents in creams, sauces, soups, baked items, etc. They are also used in thickening ice-creams.
How to select the best Cluster beans?
These beans are annual vegetables. They are harvested around October and November months. But even though they are still found in markets all year round.
Now, if you are looking for tender and fresh cluster beans, it is most useful to pick out young ones. As these beans grow, they lose their soft texture and become rather hard and hairy.
Whenever shopping for cluster beans, look for their bright green colour. They are the easiest indicators of a nice soft bean. Avoid spotted and rotting beans.
On the other hand, the guar gum is made easily accessible in packaged forms. You can find them usually in any grocery store or so.
How to store cluster beans?
It is best to wrap these up in paper or cloth bags and put it into the refrigerators. For a longer stay, please do not wash them before you put them in the refrigerator.
Cluster beans should not be kept in plastic bags as they can moisten within and lead to spoiling of the vegetable.
They will stay fresh and unaffected for four to five days when stored properly in the refrigerator.
Be sure always to wash them before you are set to use these beans in your cooking. Remove any spoilt or infected part when you spot one.
You can cut them into smaller pieces and fry them for a good, tasty, as well as healthy snack. They can be cooked and served in various ways as per your tastes.
Are Cluster beans healthy?
The best part about these green cluster beans is that they are very healthy. They can make your meal rich in a lot of necessary macro and micronutrients without adding any excess calories.
They are low in calories. Moreover, they are also good for people who have heart diseases and cholesterol issues.
Diabetics can also be greatly benefitted from the nutrients provided by this legume in their diet. It is often recommended as an alternative to many other vegetables.
The Glycemic Index of cluster beans is also very low. The Low Glycemic Index falls from 0 to 55. It indicates that cluster beans would not affect the blood sugar levels and would be rather safe and helpful for diabetic patients.
Being a legume, it certainly does contain a good amount of protein too. Protein is a very effective body-building nutrient. It helps with the repair and development of cells.
Children, women, especially pregnant women, as well as aged individuals, can be benefitted from proper growth and maintenance of health with these beans.
It is a great food item to include if you are looking for weight loss solutions. Replacing other nutrients with proteins is also an effective way to gain muscles.
Therefore, the cluster beans are excellent sources and food choices for fitness enthusiasts, body-builders, etc.
Let us have a look at what the nutritional compositions of these cluster beans are. What are the various nutrients that give it a nutritional status?
Nutritional Information of Cluster beans
Here is a table showing the number of various nutrients that are available in half a cup of cluster beans. It accounts for 100 grams of cluster beans.
| Sl. No. | Nutrients found in 100 grams of cluster beans | Amount of nutrients available |
| 1. | Calories | 16 |
| 2. | Carbohydrates | 10.8 g |
| 3. | Proteins | 3.2 g |
| 4. | Fats | 0.4 g |
| 5. | Fiber | 5.4 g |
| 6. | Calcium | 130 mg |
| 7. | Iron | 1.08 mg |
| 8. | Phosphorus | 57 mg |
| 9. | Magnesium | 47 mg |
| 10. | Vitamin A | 198 mcg |
| 11. | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.09 mg |
| 12. | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.03 mg |
| 13. | Vitamin B3 | 0.6 mg |
| 14. | Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 144 mcg |
| 15. 0 | Vitamin C | 49 mg |
Hence, it is enriched with many micronutrients that can be useful for many bodily fights and functions.
What are the health benefits of eating Cluster beans?
The many nutrients that are available in cluster beans prove to be very beneficial in various health domains. Let us have a deeper and more detailed look:
Assists in Weight loss and management
The low-calorie count of the cluster beans is the main reason that it is included in healthy diets. Including less but healthy calories is very important in a meal.
Meals that are aimed at losing weight must be inclusive of healthy and low calories. Half a cup of cluster beans consists of only 16 calories.
Thus, patients who have diabetes, obesity, or other weight-related ailments, can include cluster beans in their diets.
Along with cutting off on calories, it does not compromise otherwise. The cluster beans can give you the needed energy and healthy nutrients too.
The key to managing health is aimed at maintaining good and normal body weight.
Good and safe for diabetic patients
As we already talked about, this is also a very helpful ingredient to prepare a diabetic-friendly meal.
The Glycemic Index of cluster beans is very low, meaning they can be easily included in the diets. It would not have any spiking effects on the blood sugars.
It is low in carbohydrates and thus, would not affect the blood glucose levels of the body. A 100 g serving of this bean would not affect the diabetic sugar levels.
Also, it enhances weight loss and other helpful qualities that keep away many symptoms and discomforts.
Also safe for heart patients and reduces cholesterol
Cluster beans can assist in decreasing the excess amounts of bad cholesterol in the body. They are said to have a hypercholesteremic reaction as it is filled with fibre.
The reduction of LDL cholesterol levels helps to manage and keep the cholesterol levels under check. This, in turn, proves to be helpful for the heart.
The fiber also assists in keeping the blood pressure under control and normal. This reduces the tension on the arteries and also helps to keep away numerous cardiovascular ailments.
The availability of antioxidants is also responsible for keeping the heart free from damage and other diseases.
Good for the stomach and gut due to the presence of fiber
Fiber is the super-nutrient for everyone. It is very necessary to keep the whole body running and healthy.
Fiber works to maintain smoothly functional intestinal health. It is a roughage supplement that helps to add bulk to the stool. This, in turn, results in a regular and hassle-free excretion of waste.
If the intestine is not able to remove waste from the body, it can collect up and be harmful. Accumulated waste can lead to many gastrointestinal and stomach issues.
Thus, the presence of fiber found in cluster beans is useful to combat issues such as constipation, stomach cramps, indigestion, etc.
Another benefit of fiber is that it aids in a slower and more systematic digestive process. This is the reason why fibre-rich food is recommended for diabetic patients. They are benefitted due to a slow release of sugar.
Thus fibre supplies endless goodness for the body and overall health.
Encourages healthier bones
The bone health of the body is extremely crucial to be looked upon. With time, bones may lose their strength and become brittle. It is necessary to keep an active supply of minerals to maintain healthy and strong bones.
Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and the macronutrient protein, are essential factors of strong bones.
Cluster beans are rich in these minerals as well as proteins. Therefore, an increased and frequent addition of cluster beans to one’s diet can also be advantageous for bone health.
Improves blood circulation
Iron is important for blood circulation and production. It is available in good amounts from cluster beans.
The iron in these beans encourages the haemoglobin-content in the blood. It also is enriched with phytochemicals that promote better oxygen-carrying ability in the blood.
Overall, this is useful in increasing and improving blood quality as well as circulation.
Iron, calcium, and Folate are also required by pregnant women inefficient amounts. The aided bone developing qualities of cluster beans also improve fetal immunity.
With so many benefits and even more, the list is endless. Thus, cluster beans are a health-gem in the plate.
References
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