Ah! Baked beans, that staple of British diets – always associated with the F word, yes ‘Fibre’. Very good for you indeed. Unfortunately they do tend to have a rather gassy side effect. But not anymore! Once again scientists have come to the rescue. A Cambridge agricultural consultant, Dr Colin Leakey, has just produced his first six-tonne harvest of a new strain of South American Manteca beans. These beans are low in tannins which are responsible for the indigestibility of beans and cause – how shall we put it – ahem, wind. Dr Leakey says, "I call the beans 'social beans' and am confident that they are relatively wind-free". What a relief!
Barbara Stewart, from the University of Ulster, recommends beans on toast as one of the best breakfasts to get the brain working. Simply skipping breakfast can reduce people's performances at school and work.
In studies toast alone boosted children's scores on a variety of tests for clear thinking. But when tests got tougher, the breakfast with the high-protein beans gave the best results.
As well as this, beans are also a good source of fibre and other research has shown a link between a high-fibre diet and clearer thinking.
Haricot beans are members of a large family of white beans - best known as the beans used to produce baked beans.
The plant was first recognised in Central America more than 5,000 years ago. When Europeans arrived, numerous varieties of varying sizes and colours were being cultivated in the North, Central, and South Americas.
Let’s hear it for the good ol’ baked bean! Or maybe not…
