Home > Diet and nutrition > Healthy Food > Vegetables Updated 27 February 2013 Beans Beans can reduce the risk of heart disease, stabilise blood sugar levels and are an important source of vitamins, minerals (potassium in particular) and phytonutrients. 0 Vit & Min doses per day » Count calories in food » Is my vegetarian diet balanced? » Ask The Dietitians » Beans can reduce the risk of heart disease, stabilise blood sugar levels and are an important source of vitamins, minerals (potassium in particular) and phytonutrients. They can also help to prevent or combat anaemia. Canned beans lose most of their vitamins, but not their minerals. Kidney beans must be cooked for at least ten minutes to neutralise a harmful substance they contain.If beans are used to replace protein in a meal, 55g of dry beans are sufficient. If eaten to reduce cholesterol or blood fat levels, 100g of dry beans are recommended. Calories 103 Potassium 420 mg Fibre 6,7 g Calcium 37mg Folate 42mcg Iron 2,5mg Protein 8,4 g Zinc 1mg Per 100g cooked red kidney beans (different kinds of beans often have very similar nutritional values. More in Diet and nutrition Are you eating enough 'powerhouse' vegetables? More: Healthy FoodVegetables advertisement Read Health24’s Comments Policy Comment on this story 0 comments Comments have been closed for this article. Logout Comment 0 characters remaining Share on Facebook Loading comments... From our sponsors Keep an eye on your vision Which skin products are better, ‘medical grade’ or ‘over-the-counter’? Win 1 of 6 R5000 cash prizes Win Skin Renewal voucher Live healthier Exercise benefits for seniors » Working out in the concrete jungle Even a little exercise may help prevent dementia Here’s an unexpected way to boost your memory: running Seniors who exercise recover more quickly from injury or illness When sedentary older adults got into an exercise routine, it curbed their risk of suffering a disabling injury or illness and helped them recover if anything did happen to them. No relief for MS » Drug shows promise against MS in mouse study Vitamin D may slow multiple sclerosis Obesity in girls tied to higher MS risk Exercise may not lower women's risk of MS A Harvard study showed no evidence to support the idea that exercise lowers the risk of multiple sclerosis.