20- Kidney and Lima Beans
Kidney and lima beans are safe to eat if completely cooked, but did you know they should never be consumed raw? According to research, uncooked kidney beans contain lectins, which can disturb intestinal bacteria and hinder your body from absorbing critical nutrients, resulting in serious complications such as nitrogen loss and malnutrition. Raw kidney beans have been known to cause rats to die, and while they may not do so in humans, only four or five can make you severely ill!
Raw lima beans provide an even larger risk since they contain linamarin, which can be converted into deadly hydrogen cyanide, which can be lethal. Research on rats published in the Journal of Applied Animal Research discovered they can increase the pancreatic size and are anti-nutritive, meaning they reduce the body’s intake of critical amino acids.
While eating raw kidney or lima beans may be safe, there is a good chance you will become very ill – and lima beans can be fatal in large quantities. Given that they pose a major risk when raw, it’s better to rinse and boil kidney or lima beans for about 10 minutes before eating them to remove all toxins. That way, you get all of the nutritional benefits of the beans, such as iron, protein, and folate, without the risk of being ill or poisoned.
