Want to live to be 100?
Writer Dan Buettner (@danbuettner) knows two secrets to do just that, and he shared them in a video on Instagram. In short, eat beans. Lots and lots of beans.
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The scoop
The first secret Buettner mentions is just to eat a cup of beans every day. He says that a cup of beans a day is associated with four extra years of life expectancy. Sounds simple enough. But eating beans every single day would probably get old pretty fast.
So the secret to eating beans every day is to make the beans taste good. He says he thinks the best way is to use his Sardinia minestrone recipe. Another simple trick, Buettner says, is to use vegetable bouillon.
Buettner concludes the video by saying, "You're going to crave beans, and who knows? Maybe we'll see you when you're 100."
How it's helping
Eating beans may be one of the cheapest ways to extend your life. They're incredibly inexpensive and full of vitamins and minerals your body needs. They're packed with protein and fiber, and have almost no saturated fat and no cholesterol whatsoever.
Eating beans every day will also help you control your weight. A study found that people who ate beans regularly gained less weight and belly fat than those who didn't.
The fiber in beans also helps with gut health. The good bacteria in your stomach uses the fiber for fuel, helping it to outnumber the bad bacteria in your gut. This can help to prevent disease.
Beans also contain nutrients that help to prevent heart disease by naturally lowering cholesterol and regulating blood pressure.
One of the few downsides to eating a lot of beans (for those who consider this a downside) is that they can make you gassy if your digestive system isn't used to them, but slowly introducing beans to your diet will give your gut time to adjust.
What everyone's saying
While much of the reaction to the post was people discussing their own ways to cook flavorful beans, others shared their personal experiences, proving Buettner's point.
One person has seen the power of beans firsthand, commenting, "My grandfather eats beans every day, specifically black beans because that's what they eat in the part of Mexico that he is from. He just turned 103 years old last week."
Another commented: "My grandpa was Hispanic and ate beans every day of his life; he lived to be 97 and I always wondered if it was because of all the beans and garlic. Now I know!"
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