Green beans are a highly nutritious vegetable. Low in calories, they contain essential vitamins and minerals that research suggests may support heart health, bone strength, weight management, cancer prevention, and more.
Whether frozen, canned, or fresh, adding green beans to your list of culinary staples is a beneficial way to boost your intake of key nutrients, potentially improving various aspects of your health.
1. Protects Bone Health
Green beans' highvitamin Kcontent may be beneficial for boosting bone health. Not getting enough vitamin K may increase your risk ofosteoporosis, leading to bone weakening.Vitamin K is thought to produce proteins that aid in the formation ofbones.
Just one portion-size serving of green beans offers more than 20% of the daily recommended intake of this essential vitamin, plus a solid amount of calcium, which also supports bone strength.
2. Aids Weight Management
Green beans are alow-calorieandlow-fatenergy source supporting weight management. They offer plenty of vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients and can be easily incorporated into any dietary plan. One cup of cooked green beans contains just 31 calories and lots offilling fiber, allowing your body to feel full on a small amount of calories.
3. Protects Gut and Digestive Health
Foods that are low in FODMAPs(fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols—carbohydrates that are difficult for the body to digest) are ideal for protectinggut health.
Alow-FODMAP dietis recommended for a variety of health conditions, likeirritable bowel syndrome(IBS) andCrohn’s disease. Green beans are considered a low-FODMAP food, which makes them a solid option for people with digestive disorders.
The solid fiber content in greens also promotes ahealthy bacterial environment in the gut, stabilizing blood sugar and helping you stay full for extended periods.
4. Improves Heart Health
The vegetable’sfolateandpotassiumcontent are important for regulating blood pressure, while its fiber andproteinhelp lower cholesterol levels. Thesoluble fiberfound in green beans is key for reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol).
Experts recommend cooking them in heart-healthy oils, likeolive oil, rather than boiling them. And if you can, opt for fresh green beans over canned, as the canned variety containsadded sodium (salt).
5. Maintains Eye Health
Vitamin Aand vitamin C are particularly important foreye health. One serving of uncooked green beans provides around 15% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A and up to 25% of the daily value ofvitamin C.
One study found people who took folic acid and other B vitamin supplements daily had a reduced risk of developingage-related macular degeneration(AMD).Thefolatein green beans provides around 10% of the daily value, which is also important for eye health.
6. Helps with Pregnancy
The B vitamins folate,riboflavin, andthiamineplay key roles in pregnancy health, and all are found in green beans. Just one cup of the vegetable makes up around a third of your daily recommended intake of folate, which is crucial for reducing the risk of certain congenital abnormalities.
Other research shows a reduced risk ofspina bifida(a congenital condition of the spine) when a pregnant person gets enough folate per day.
7. Reduces Depression Symptoms
Green beans may help improvedepression symptomsbecause they contain folate, which can lower levels of an amino acid known ashomocysteine. When there’s too much homocysteine in the body, the hormones that regulate your mood, sleep, and appetite can be negatively affected.
Some research suggests that getting enough folate daily can even help treatdepressionwhen used in conjunction with conventional medication treatment, so it’s possible that eating green beans regularly could contribute to these potential benefits.
8. May Aid Anemia
The iron content in green beans may help with anemia, a condition of not having enough healthy red blood cells.Iron helps transport oxygen from the lungs to cells throughout the body. If you don’t get enough of this mineral, you may noticeanemia symptoms, such as fatigue, lightheadedness, and weakness.
Opting for green beans with some of your meals may help boost your iron content, potentially preventing this.
9. May Help Prevent Cancer
Antioxidants found inmany vegetablesare thought to help prevent cancer. Green beans’chlorophyll,soluble fiber,resistant starch, and phenolic compounds may offer cancer protection.
Some research suggests that incorporating green beans into your diet might help lower the risk ofcolon,breast, andprostatecancer.However, more evidence is needed.
A Word From Verywell
—KARINA TOLENTINO, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Serving Size and Nutrient Breakdown
Green beans are a great source of vitamins and fiber. One cup of the vegetable contains:
Who Should Avoid Eating Green Beans?
In general, green beans are considered to be safe for most healthy adults. However, some may want to consult a healthcare provider before incorporating them into their diet. For example:
Summary
Green beans are a low-fat, healthy way to fill your body with key nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and K, folate, fiber, and more. Research indicates that incorporating this vegetable into your meals may benefit heart health, bone strength, weight management, cancer prevention, and more.
However, before adding green beans to your weekly grocery list, check with a healthcare provider if you have any underlying health conditions, like high blood pressure, or if you’re currently taking blood-thinning medications to ensure they’re the right nutritional addition for you.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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