In its 2025 report, the Dietary Guidelines Committee recommended that Americans increase their daily intake of beans, peas and lentils. Although beans have been considered part of a healthy diet since the birth of the dietary guidelines in 1980, there have been a growing number of studies published linking beans to a variety of health benefits.
But what are beans exactly, and what is it about them that makes them so nutritious? Beans are a type of pulse, and pulses are a type of legume. Legumes are defined as any plants that grow in pods; the term ‘pulse’ refers only to the dry edible seed within said pod.
Common pulses include chickpeas, lentils and beans. While a pulse is a type of legume, they are distinct from the broader family of legumes (which includes peanuts and soybeans), because they offer special health benefits. For instance, pulses are high in fiber, iron and folate and a good source of protein and potassium, but low in fat and sodium.
Common examples of beans include kidney, pinto, white, black, lima and fava.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s MyPlate healthy eating recommendations, beans are nutritionally similar to foods in the vegetable and protein food groups. As such, you can count them as a vegetable or protein on your plate. This means that if you have a meal such as rice and beans with collard greens, you can count the beans as a protein, rice as a carb and collard greens as the vegetables, which adds up to a balanced plate.
Here, you’ll find seven benefits of this underappreciated food that you may not have known before. They just might convince you to start adding a can or two to your weekly grocery list.
May Decrease Cholesterol
A 2023 published study showed that replacing protein foods and refined grains with pulses decreases cholesterol because of the increased fiber intake. The study found that swapping just one ounce of common protein foods (including meat, poultry, eggs, seafood and soy products) with a 1/4-cup of pulses (including beans) can lead to a decrease in cholesterol by more than 10 percent while simultaneously increasing fiber by 10 percent.
The recommended amount of dietary fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men aged 50 or younger; for women and men over 50 years of age the recommendation is 21 and 30 grams, respectively. Given that fiber is under-consumed by most people in the U.S. (only 10 to 15 grams per day), this is a simple way to increase fiber intake. A 1/4-cup of canned black beans provides four grams of fiber.
Further, a 2024 published review found that consuming pulses – including beans – has beneficial effects on LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and HDL (“good” cholesterol).
May Help You Relax
One cup of canned black beans is an excellent source of magnesium providing 20 percent of the daily recommended allowance. This micronutrient helps support relaxation and regulate the body’s circadian rhythm by influencing the production of neurotransmitters and melatonin.
May Help With Reproductive Health
Beans are brimming with iron, folate and magnesium, which are needed to synthesize and regulate reproductive hormones. Research suggests that getting these nutrients may help with reproductive health in fertile and infertile women. More research is needed, but adding beans to your day can help add those important nutrients.
May Help Alleviate Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome
Research reveals that magnesium can also help alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). This published double-blind placebo controlled study found that college women who received magnesium supplements reported decreased symptoms of PMS such as cramps, headache, back pain, foot pain, depression, irritability and abdominal pain, compared to a placebo. As beans are rich in magnesium, eating them regularly can help keep a steady supply of magnesium to the body.
Can Support Gut Health
Beans are well known to have plenty of fiber, which helps promote digestion and regularity. However, they also act as prebiotics, which means that they feed beneficial gut bacteria, fostering a healthy microbiome. This, in turn, can enhance a variety of metabolic functions such as digestion, nutrient absorption and immune function.
Can Help Support a Healthy Body Weight
A 2024 published study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018 to look at health outcomes of people eating more beans compared to people who ate little to no beans. Researchers found that people who ate between 1.7 to 2 servings of beans per day were significantly associated with a lower body mass index (BMI), decreased body weight and improved waist circumference compared to those who ate no beans.