A to Z skin foods: K-Kidney Beans

January 11, 2015Sarika Nair A to Z skin foods

Hello everyone!!

Today’s alphabet is K and today’s skin food – KIdney beans. In case you thought K would be Kiwi, I have already done a post on Kiwi. They are also great for the skin.

Kidney beans are commonly called rajma in India. They are popularly used in many cuisines all over the world. These dry beans are a powerhouse of protein. A cup of kidney beans provides over 15 gm of protein. Kidney beans are also a good source of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B-6 and dietary fiber.

Let us see how benefits of kidney beans for skin:

Protein: They are packed with good quality protein. Protein contains amino acids called L-lysine and L-proline, which are very important in the creation of collagen in your body. Collagen gives structure to your skin’s tissues. As you get older, your collagen breaks down, which may lead to wrinkles. So eating a high-protein diet fortifies your collagen levels and therefore makes your skin thicker and less prone to wrinkles.
Fiber: Kidney beans are an excellent source of both types of dietary fiber important for optimal health: insoluble and soluble fiber. Just one cup provides roughly half your daily fiber. Dietary fiber helps to keep the digestive tract healthy. If the digestive system isn’t working optimally, breakouts, eczema, redness and dull skin can ensue. When the digestive system struggles to eliminate toxins effectively, it will partner up with other organs and eliminate toxins that way. Since your skin is your body’s largest organ, it’s no surprise that acne, rosacea, and dermatitis crop up when something’s off internally.
Iron: 1 cup of Kidney beans provide approximately 29% of daily requirement of iron. Iron is required for oxygenation of blood and to increase immunity. It regulates the blood flow and keeps our skin looking healthy.
Copper: 1 cup of kidney beans provide 21% of daily requirement of copper. Copper helps the body use iron efficiently and is needed to form collagen. Collagen keeps skin firm and youthful.

So many reasons to eat kidney beans right?

And here is the recipe:

Kidney beans salad

I have modified this recipe from late Tarla Dalal’s website.

I love this recipe as it is a high protein, high fiber, iron rich recipe. All lovely ladies and beautiful girls, especially you all should eat this for the iron as we lose it every month. We don’t want to be anemic and we want to glow!! So take a big bowl and chomp…chomp….chomp…

Note karein iske ingredients 🙂

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked and boiled kidney beans

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes(I remove the seeds as it makes the salad watery, but it is optional)

1/2 cup chopped cucumbers

1/4th cup chopped onions

chopped green chillies optional and as per taste

Dressing and garnishing:

1 tbsp chopped spring onion greens

2 tbsp chopped coriander

a few leaves of lettuce

1 tsp lemon juice