Green beans

Phaseolus vulgaris

vegetable · legume

Young, tender pods of the common bean, picked before the seeds swell; always eaten cooked, they provide fibre and lutein.

Origin

Mesoamerica

Season (United States)

June to September · grows in your region

Preparation

Always cooked: raw, they contain phasin, a lectin that upsets the gut. Its skin is eaten, and that is where its polyphenols sit: worth keeping, then — but under running water, rubbing it, which is what takes off most of what settles there, organic or not.

Molecules

Lutein and zeaxanthin · Insoluble fibers · ChlorophyllIn small amounts, not counted Flavonols (quercetin) · Vitamin K1

Did you know?

They have only really been eaten since the early 20th century, with the search for a lighter diet.