Properties and benefits of broad beans both raw and cooked

Properties and benefits of broad beans.

Do you know broad beans???? Very good but also rich in benefits.

Broad beans are the seeds of the Vicia faba plant that belongs to the family of legumes. You can consume them fresh or dried and thanks to the presence of Levodopa they are currently used in the therapy of Parkinson’s disease.

Properties and benefits of broad beans

Let us begin by saying that fresh broad beans are very nutritious and also contain very little calories; the dried beans have about 4 times as much calories than the fresh ones.
Furthermore fresh broad beans contain levodopa (L-dopa), an amino acid which helps to improve the concentration of dopamine in the brain and precisely for this reason today the Levodopa is the active principle of the main drugs used in the therapy of Parkinson’s Disease;

Broad beans contain a good share of iron and vitamin C which favours the absorption of iron, and are therefore indicated for people suffering from anemia. They are also very rich in dietary fibre and promote the proper functioning of the intestine. They are also diuretic, hence beneficial for the kidneys and urinary tract.

Properties and benefits of broad beans : NUTRITIONAL VALUES
100 g broad beans contain :

41 Kcal / 171 kj.

Water 83.9 g
Carbohydrates 4,5 g
Sugars 2,2 g
Protein 5,2 g
Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 0 g
fibre 5 g
Sodium 17 mg
Potassium 200 mg
Iron 1.7 mg
Calcium 22 mg
Phosphorus 93 mg
Vitamin B1 0.11 mg
Vitamin B2 0.19 mg
Vitamin B3 1.27 mg
Vitamin A 11 µg
Vitamin C 33 mg

HOW BROAD BEANS SHOULD BE COOKED

For fresh broad beans about 6-8 minutes of cooking is required in the pressure cooker from when it starts whistling. The water must be cold and cover the broad beans with about a finger height.

With regards to the dried broad beans, soaking times vary depending on whether they are peeled or not.

With regards to the semi-dry and with the skin broad beans, it is better to leave to soak overnight or up to 16 hours, in lukewarm water and the cooking time in the pressure cooker increases up to 35-45 minutes.

Broad beans are very versatile and can be used for salads, soups, creams, pies, pasta and other unique tasty and nutritious dishes.

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