I’m not one that is really into weird foods. I try to keep it pretty simple and straight forward. In previous blogs, I’ve even mentioned how I don’t believe that any one food has amazing superpowers, you know the ones that most people call our superfoods.
Instead of classifying them as superfoods I like to just sum up my love for foods as classic. Wholesome, grown from the earth and uniquely powerful. The same goes for mung beans.
While I didn’t add them to my list of 7 Health Foods You Need to Add To Your Diet, I think this could very well become number eight. As I’ve gone on this journey of healing my body, getting my hormonal flow back and finally tasting vibrant energy again, I’ve found a few new foods and products that have helped me to achieve this. Mung beans has definitely become one of them.
Honestly, the only time I had previously heard about mung beans was on the episode of the office where Creed was secretly sprouting them in his desk drawer. Apparently sprouting mung beans create a not-so fine odor. Thus why there was a need during the show to talk about how they smelled like death. What?!?
the real deal
Unfortunately that episode did nothing to excite me to even look into mung beans. I mean first of all, I just thought it was fictional like the show, but here’s the real deal; mung beans have some pretty potent health benefits, specially for your adrenals. Your adrenals are responsible for a great deal of your hormonal flow, especially your stress hormones.
While mung beans are pretty new to most people in the U.S., they’ve been a part of traditional Ayurvedic diets in India for centuries. This culture even considers mung beans to be “one of the most cherished foods” in the ancient Indian practice of medicine. They are ever so slowly making their way west, popping up in all kinds of things like protein powders, canned soups and restaurant dishes.
what is a mung bean
Mung beans are a part of the legume family, which is the same one as beans and lentils. They can be purchased split, whole or in the sprouted form.
Often mung beans are soaked and cooked to be added to soups, stews, formed into fritters or mixed in casseroles. Traditionally mung beans would be used in curries or stews.
health benefits
While chickpeas and black beans are much more popular, mung beans actually have a higher nutritional value to offer. Mung beans are a high source of nutrients like; manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, zinc and the essential B vitamins. They are also full of protein, resistant starch and dietary fiber. You can definitely tell this when you eat them as they keep you full for long periods of time.
With the nutritional value of mung beans, they have been shown to help a wide variety of diseases. These include: lowering bad cholesterol and protecting against heart disease, lower high blood pressure, help fight off cancer, prevent type-2 diabetes, boost immunity, help with weight loss, and balance hormones.
mung beans and your hormones
The nutritional structure of mung beans provide the essential building blocks needed to maintain a properly flowing hormonal system. In fact, some of the most essential nutrients for hormonal flow, like B-vitamins, magnesium and folate, can be found in these little beans. In just one serving of mung beans you could get 100% of your daily value of folate. Folate is the nutrient responsible for DNA synthesis, hormonal balance, cognitive function, fertility, and tissue and cell growth.
Basically the mung bean has the right nutritional profile to manage your hormonal flow. These nutrients also take stress off your adrenals making everything run a little bit smoother. This means more energy for you, decrease in weight, decrease in PMS, increase in muscle strength and better mental clarity.
digestion
If I haven’t sold them enough, mung beans are actually relatively easy to digest and can aid your body in detoxification. This is due to the fiber content plus resistant starch. Resistant starch feeds your gut bacteria that helps your body to better digest and excrete food. But to make sure they don’t just become another typical bean {beans, beans, the magical food, the more you eat, the more you… you see where this is going} try soaking them overnight before cooking. This takes away the properties of beans that make them more difficult to digest.
how to cook
Mung beans are pretty simple to add to your diet. They cook just like quinoa and rice. Here’s how to do it:
- Rinse mung beans in cold water.
- Add one cup of mung beans to three cups of water and a pinch of salt.
- Once boiling, bring to a simmer and cover the beans.
- Cook the mung beans until tender or about 45 minutes. If they are split mung beans they will only take about 20-30 minutes to fully cook.
You can use cooked mung beans mixed with quinoa and rice, in soups and stews or as the base to casseroles. I will caution you that they can get a little bit mushy. Be sure to add enough crunch and texture in other ingredients. But I can assure you, these beans will help you to feel more vibrant, keep you full for longer periods of time and take away your cravings. Not to mention they make your hormones flow better which means everything works just a little more smoothly.
where to find them
Of all of the foods I recommend, mung beans are probably one of the least common ones to find. I generally purchase mine on Amazon because our local grocery stores do not carry them. The good news is they are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. This is the brand I recommend in the whole mung bean form.
If you want more information on how to use them in your diet or how to reset your hormones, check out my 5-Day Hormonal Reset Guide. This is the quick and simple way to reset your hormones and create changes that last a lifetime. Did I mention you can get more energy, lose weight, feel more vibrant and come to life in just five days? Click here to learn more and join me in reseting your hormones to change your life!
