Why You Should Avoid Eating Raw Beans

Beans are some of the healthiest food items on the planet. As Healthline explains, they come with a bunch of health advantages, such as being a rich source of B vitamins, fiber, and protein. They've also been known to help regulate blood sugar and reduce cholesterol. Plus, when it comes to beans, there are plenty of options to choose from such as chickpeas, lentils, peas, soybeans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and more which means there is little room for boredom and several delicious opportunities to experiment with recipes.

In fact, according to a wise Reddit user, it's a good idea to try a variety of things while eating or cooking with beans to stave off boredom. They wrote, "There is no one bean that's perfect for everyone all the time, it's better to have a variety of beans to keep it interesting and diversify your nutrients [and] avoid over exposure and boredom." However, there is one key rule that you shouldn't break at any cost: eat your beans cooked and never raw. Here is why.

What's the deal with raw beans? As reported by Gizmodo, raw beans have something called lectin which is compound that the cooking process and soaking them can help you get rid of. Lectin is found in many varieties of beans, particularly kidney beans and can make you fall ill. Yes, even if it's just a tiny amount. Also, the piece further adds that undercooked beans can be even worse for your health and can lead to serious food poisoning.

As per HuffPost, raw kidney beans are particularly dangerous and should be kept in boiling water for a minimum of ten minutes to ensure that they're not poisonous anymore. Also, don't cook kidney beans in a slow cooker without boiling them in order to ensure that you've gotten rid of all the toxins. And in case you do feel nauseous, you should take it seriously if you find that your symptoms don't go away after a few hours.