Is the fiber in cooked beans as good as the fiber in raw veggies?

Question

I think I heard that if you cook a food with fiber it softens the fibers, and it's not as good for you as the raw stuff. But you obviously can't eat uncooked beans though.

Answer 1

With beans, you just about have to cook them unless you want to eat them as sprouts. However, cooking beans does nothing to diminish the health benefits from eating them.

Including beans in the diet on a regular basis can help control weight. Beans are low in both fat and calories, and high in dietary fiber and protein. The dietary fiber in beans helps slow the absorption of carbohydrate, which may prevent hunger from re-occurring as soon.

As a diabetic, I appreciate the high content of dietary fiber in beans, especially soluble fiber, which helps slow the absorption rate of carbohydrate. A slower rate of carbohydrate absorption moderates blood sugar peaks related to food intake.

The nutrient profile of beans contributes to heart health. Beans are low in total fat, saturated fat and sodium. They are high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber; folate, a B-vitamin; potassium; and other minerals. Beans help maintain normal ranges for several risk factors for heart disease: blood cholesterol, blood pressure and blood homocysteine levels.

Beans are a good source of “resistant starch.” The breakdown products from “resistant starch” appear to play a role in reducing the risk of colon cancer.

Beans are an excellent protein source for vegetarians providing more than twice as much protein per serving as cereal grains. Combining beans and cereal grains together provides all the protein building blocks (amino acids) required in the diet. Beans are also a good source of iron and zinc for vegetarians who consume no meat.

We should all Include ½ cup of beans several times each week, combined with a well-balanced diet, a recent clinical trial showed a reduced risk of heart disease for legume eaters.

Answer 2

As to your question I don't think you can compare cooking beans and legumes to what happens to the cellulose when cooking vegetables. Bean (cooked or sprouted) provide a great deal of fiber and protein to one's diet. According to the AHA, sounds like not necessarily better just fills different needs in terms of fiber needed.


Dietary fiber is the term for several materials that make up the parts of plants your body can't digest. Fiber is classified as soluble or insoluble.

When eaten regularly as part of a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, soluble fiber has been associated with increased diet quality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Soluble or viscous fibers modestly reduce LDL cholesterol beyond levels achieved by a diet low in saturated and trans fatty acids and cholesterol alone. Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber of any grain. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp.

Insoluble fiber has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals. Dietary fiber may promote satiety by slowing gastric emptying, leading to an overall decrease in calorie intake. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, rye, rice, barley, most other grains, cabbage, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower and apple skin.

Answer 3

That is not true. Fiber is good even in cooked beans, drink the water/juice from it. It works, wonders.

Answer 4

They all taste different. Some taste good and some taste bad. I personally won't touch the things that try to mimic the taste of meat, like for example the vegetarian ground beef - ick! But some other things like the black bean burgers, don't mimic meat as much as substitute for it, and can be rather delicious. These things ARE pricey. They are also unhealthy. Ideally you should make your own or eat something else, but they are nice to bring to barbeques and to throw in the microwave if you're feeling lazy.

Answer 5

Yes that is absolutely true that the fiber does break down when veggies are cooked.

Answer 6

Cooked fibre is good.It is better to takecooked beans than raw.---

Answer 7

Raw beans can be eaten raw, if you sprout them. For more information on this check out this great raw and live plant food website.

http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html