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From the garden to your table: delicious secrets of green beans

De la huerta a tu mesa: secretos deliciosos de las judías verdes

Green beans are not only an ingredient for cooking numerous recipes, but they can also be used to make snacks that can be eaten at any time of the day.


Green beans are both a vegetable and a legume. In reality, what we call green beans are nothing more than the immature fruits of beans, but despite not having yet reached maturity, they can already be consumed.


The plant, Phaseolus vulgaris , is a legume whose cultivation began in America, specifically in the area currently comprised by El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico. It was possibly already cultivated around 7,000 BC. A staple in the recipes of both sides of the Atlantic, it can be consumed both as a seed and in its pod. In addition, legumes play a fundamental role in agriculture by providing nitrogen to the soil, thus preventing its depletion by successive harvests.


Green beans are a rich source of fibre, which helps regulate intestinal transit. They are also a source of carbohydrates (4.2 g per 100 g) and low in calories (37-39 kcal per 100 grams), which makes them an appropriate vegetable for diets related to weight control. They are also an important source of folate and vitamin C, and also stand out for their mineral content, the most important of which is iodine, so that a serving of green beans provides between 40% and 50% of the recommended daily intake. Other minerals present in smaller quantities are potassium, iron, phosphorus and calcium.


In addition to the aforementioned vitamin C, with antioxidant properties, green beans provide a source of vitamin A, which helps the immune system.


It should be noted that small amounts of a and b-carotenes are present, which help in the synthesis of vitamin A. Lutein is associated with a lower risk of suffering from cataracts, also reducing the risk of senile macular degeneration.


Another aspect to note is the presence of chromium salts that help regulate blood glucose levels, which is why their potential benefits for diabetics are currently being studied.


Like many other vegetables, green beans should not be eaten raw due to the presence of lectins. Therefore, when making our dehydrated green bean snacks, we steam them, mixing them with other dehydrated vegetables that can be eaten raw without any problem.


Vidaviva Ecofood's green bean snack is an original way to consume this vegetable at any time of the day, as a snack or as an accompaniment to other foods. Our snack, in addition to steamed green beans, contains raw pumpkin, raw leek, linseed, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, spices, extra virgin olive oil, salt and chia seeds. As with all our foods, the raw materials come from organic crops and the transformation process is artisanal, without synthetic additives.


To make our green bean snack, we first steam the green beans and mix them with raw pumpkin, raw leek, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, olive oil, spices and salt. As a result, we have a snack ready to eat as an aperitif and at any time you want.

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