Driving Notes

Todd and I shared information about the United Way of Knox County’s kickoff week!

Find out more from the Morning Thing’s Monday blog by clicking here.

We also gave away a $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup – Tammie from Howard correctly guessed this year’s Uinted Way campaign slogan!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

Beans might be the super foods that get a bad rap. One article we read called them the ‘black sheep of super foods..”

But…beans offer a lot of nutritional benefit. Here are some tidbits from The Bean Institute – read the full article here.

Beans are a simply delicious, naturally nutritious food. We’re talking about dry edible beans, beans that are harvested when the beans are dry in the seed pod.

All types of beans—including black, cranberry, Great Northern, dark red kidney, light red kidney, white kidney, navy, pink, pinto, and small red—are good sources of protein, excellent sources of fiber, and naturally fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free. Many types are also good sources of potassium.

• Being rich in complex carbohydrates, as well as a good source of protein, beans have a low glycemic index.  This makes them an ideal food for the management of insulin resistance, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. (Foster-Powell, 2002; Rizdalla, 2002)

• Dry beans are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibers. (Tosh, 2010). Soluble fiber traps dietary cholesterol inside the digestive tract. The cholesterol is then excreted versus being absorbed, which helps to lower blood levels of LDL cholesterol, especially if LDL cholesterol levels were high to begin with.
  
• Dry beans also provide substantial amounts of insoluble fiber, which help attract water to the stool and keeps you regular.  This may help to combat constipation, colon cancer, and other digestive health conditions (Lanza, 2006).

• Most types of beans are good sources of potassium, a mineral that promotes healthy blood pressure levels.
  
• Beans are excellent sources of copper, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium—nutrients that many Americans don’t get enough of.
  
• Most types of dry beans are rich sources of iron, which makes them important for vegetarians and vegans who do not get an animal source of iron.
  
• Dry beans are an excellent source of the water-soluble vitamins thiamin and folic acid and a good source of riboflavin and vitamin B6.

Today’s Who Knew? Trivia to win a $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup:

According to the USDA, what state in the U.S. produces the most beans?

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd