Health Tip: Cooking With Beans

Beans are a high-fiber source of protein that contain little fat and cholesterol.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests how to prepare and cook beans:

• Add beans to your favorite soups, stews or casseroles, or serve them as a side dish.
• Reduce cooking time by as much as half by soaking beans in advance. To soak them overnight, place them in a large pot with plenty of room-temperature water.
• To soak dried beans more quickly, bring a pot of water to a boil and then add beans, allowing them to soak for up to four hours.
• To ease digestive gas, discard the soaking water, rinse the beans and cook them in fresh water.