By Hilary Brueck
Turns out, not all beans are created equal.While black beans seem to be great at fighting low-grade chronic inflammation, chickpeas are more of a cholesterol-lowering powerhouse, according to recent research from Illinois Institute of Technology.In a three-month study, researchers asked a group of roughly 24 prediabetic people to eat a cup of black beans every day, while another group of 24 with prediabetes was given chickpeas. In a third control group, participants cooked white rice.By the end of just 12 weeks, the researchers noticed significant differences in inflammation levels for the black bean eaters, while chickpea eaters had a greater effect on their total cholesterol, moving from at risk (with an average total cholesterol around 200 mg/dL) into a heart-healthy range (186 mg/dL).The reason why different beans house different health benefits probably has to do with the chemicals that color them and make each bean unique. While the phytochemicals that make black beans black are known to have more anti-inflammatory properties, golden chickpeas have more of other plant chemicals called phytosterols, which are cholesterol-lowering compounds.This is why nutrition buffs often recommend eating a wide variety of different colored plants, including fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. By eating a rich diversity of colorful whole foods, you’ll enjoy the complex natural “food matrix” found inside each one, lead researcher Indika Edirisinghe told Business Insider.”It contains protein, it contains lipid, it contains fiber, vitamins, minerals,” and different combinations of each from bean to bean, he said. “Somebody can synthesize artificial bean by adding all the nutrients, but I don’t think you’re going to get the same effect.”Registered dietician Joel Ramdial, who was not involved with this study, is the director of nutrition at Southeast Missouri State University’s department of sport sciences. He told BI that beans are one of the most dense and varied sources of dietary fiber you can find, making them a great ingredient to mix into your next meal.”You can blend them up and mix them into things, you can roast,” he said. “You can put them in soups, you can mix them into sauces.”In order to make it easier on research participants to include a cup of chickpeas per day in their diets, Edirisinghe and his team equipped their study volunteers with canned chickpeas, a measuring cup, and several easy recipes.Ingredients:Directions:Ingredients:Directions:Top with feta and cilantroIngredients:Directions:Serve over cooked rice, and garnish with the sesame seeds and sliced scallions, if desiredIngredients:Directions:Ingredients:Directions