12 Days of Powerfoods - Day 2

*Beans and Other Legumes*

Powers: Building muscle, helping burn fat, regulating digestion
Weapons: Fiber, protein, iron, folate
Fight against: Obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure
Sidekicks: Lentils, peas, bean dips, hummus, edamame
Posers: Refried beans, which are high in saturated fats; baked beans, which are high in sugar.

In fact, if you can replace a meat-heavy
dish with a bean-heavy dish a couple of times
a week, you'll be losing a lot of saturated fat
out of your diet and replacing it
with higher amounts of fiber.

Beans, including soybeans, chickpeas, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans and lima beans, are packed with protein, fiber, and iron. All three are essentials to lose weight & gain muscle.

How I ate it today: I'll be having beans with dinner tonight :) Ranch style...

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27054206/ns/today-today_health/?pg=3#TDY_MH_12PowerFoods