Beans 🫘 Are the Common Denominator

So why the sudden interest in beans? For a long time, beans (aka legumes) have lived in a weird nutrition purgatory in my brain. In 2011, the first real diet I was introduced to was Paleo. At the time, it had a huge impact on the way I viewed food. And in Paleo world, beans/legumes are not allowed. So that idea has always stuck with me.

Fast forward to 2017, I was at my parents house and picked up a National Geographic magazine about Blue Zones. I read the whole thing cover to cover. The concept was fascinating: in certain parts of the world people tend to live longer, healthier lives, often with lower rates of chronic disease. One of the things that stuck with me was that beans and other legumes are a staple in the traditional diets of all five Blue Zones across the world. I remember thinking to myself.. if these people all eat legumes and naturally live the longest, they can’t possibly be bad. And keep in mind, this was way before the biohacker craze we’re seeing today. These folks were not taking any longevity drugs. They were just living/eating along the cultural norms of these regions.

Then, just a few weeks ago, I was on TikTok one afternoon and the algorithm decided it was time for me to care about beans again. I came across a video of someone talking about the benefits of eating beans daily, and it immediately brought me back to the Blue Zone magazine I read years ago. I don’t why it hit me differently this time, but I finally connected all the dots.

Beans are one of those rare foods that keep showing up everywhere. They are the only food that can be categorized as both a vegetable and a protein source. They are found as a daily staple in every blue-zone where people live the longest. They are included in nearly every fad diet taking over the internet right now: Mediterranean, DASH, Mind, etc. They are the protein-staple for most vegetarians. And the list goes on & on.

To me, beans are starting to look like the common denominator. At the very least, I’d argue they need to be viewed through the same nutritional lens as green vegetables and fruit. They’re a key part of a well-rounded, healthy diet.

@heckendorn

Day 9 of eating beans 🫘 every day for breakfast. My wife is officially the bean GOAT. I’ve been driving the bean journey…which also meant cooking them. But she loves to cook and took it upon herself (probably after suffering through a few of my bland batches) and 🤯. They are so much better. She drops some tips at the end of this video. #beans #cooking #wifey #beantok #healthyliving

♬ original sound – Chase

In March, I started a new video series: Day 1 of eating beans every day for breakfast. Now I’m just taking it one day at a time, seeing what happens, learning as I go, and sharing along the way. And apparently people have taken notice. Day 9 went kind of wild. 70K+ views, hundreds of comments, etc. Probably my most viral video yet.

I’m enjoying the prep and cooking side of it almost as much as eating them. Instant Pot, Crock Pot, stovetop. So far I’ve mostly been starting with dried bean mixes.

I’ve also already learned one very important lesson about certain types of beans, especially kidney beans: they contain PHA. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) is a toxic lectin found in high concentrations in raw or undercooked kidney beans, especially red kidney beans. If it’s not deactivated through proper cooking, it can cause severe, fast-acting food poisoning with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Do not slow-cook kidney beans without boiling them first. If you’re going to use a slow cooker, make sure you boil them for 10 to 20 minutes before moving them over. Fortunately, someone on TikTok pointed this out before I got too deep into my bean journey.

If I eventually write a book titled, Beans Are the Common Denominator, you’ll have the origin story right here.