Don't Can the Beans

By Kelley Herring

Last week, I was talking with a diabetic friend. During her latest weight-loss effort (and there have been many), she gave up beans. But she was still eating whole-grain bread and pasta. She reasoned that "beans are too high in carbs," believing they would worsen her diabetes and waistline woes.

When I told her I eat beans (dark red kidney beans or chickpeas) just about every day, her jaw dropped. "But you've never been leaner or more fit," she said. Exactly! Beans are a great low-glycemic carbohydrate that helps keep blood sugar in balance and your appetite in check.

In fact, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition proved just how much better beans are than popular wheat-based products for keeping blood sugar levels stable.

At each meal, healthy participants were given 50 grams of carbohydrate - either from chickpeas, wheat-based foods, or white bread. Researchers found that plasma glucose levels of those eating chickpeas was substantially lower 30 minutes and one hour after each meal than levels of the participants eating the other carbohydrates.

What makes beans so effective at stabilizing blood sugar? Fiber and protein. This powerful combo helps slow digestion and blunt the spike associated with eating other carbohydrate-rich foods. Plus, you'll stay full longer and eat less, which is the key to losing weight... and keeping it off.

It's Good to Know: Toxic Waste Is for the Birds

Scientists at Cardiff University have found that male starlings develop superior singing ability after being exposed to an estrogen-like toxic waste. Because singing is a sign of virility among birds, the pollutant-enhanced males attract more females. It turns out the toxic waste changes the part of the birds' brains associated with singing. Of course, the news isn't all good for the animal kingdom. When the same chemicals pollute streams and rivers, they have been known to turn male fish into hermaphrodites.

Throw off the delicate balance of hormones in birds, fish, animals - or people - and you never know what will happen. (Male athletes who abuse steroids - which mimic testosterone and other "male" hormones - often wind up with results that are less than virile.)

(Source: Wired)

Word to the Wise: Arrant

"Arrant" (AR-unt) - from the Latin for "a journey" - means downright/ confirmed/ extreme/ notorious. It was originally a variant spelling of "errant" (meaning "wandering") and was applied to vagabonds.

Example (as used by J.D. McClatchy in The New York Times): "More deplorable is his [James Dickey's] arrant and compulsive hypocrisy.... Under all the chest hair, he was a hollow man."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2315, 03-28-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.