Beans are praised for their beneficial nutrition, especially the high protein content. It is also the same for Andean lupin, one of the lupin species grows around Andes. Andean lupin is also called chocho bean.
The Health Benefits of Andean Lupin (Chocho Bean)
It is said that the bitter taste of Andean lupin differentiate Andean lupin with the other lupins. But despite the slightly bitter taste, it contains beneficial nutrients such as protein, oil, fiber, ash, carbohydrate, and alkaloids.
Here are the health benefits of Andean lupin (chocho bean) you can get.
- High protein
The broken-white Andean lupin may look like soybean in the appearance. But not only the appearance, chocho bean also have the quality of soybean, such as the high protein content. Adding olive oil and seasoning to chocho bean as the natural preservative can also lower the calories intake and present the Health Benefits of Olive Oil.
- Low fat
Most beans such as barlotti beans with the Health Benefits of Barlotti Beans contain 10-20% calories from fats. But chocho bean is different. It nearly has no fat in it as some study proved that the beans only present about 0 gram of fat for each serving. So, it can be your favorite high protein with low fat snack. It is suitable for those who keen on body building.
- Good source of fiber
People mainly fulfill their need of protein by consuming animal based protein like meat, fish and poultry. They believe in Health Benefits of Meat, Poultry and Fish as the best protein source. However, consuming animal based protein cannot fulfill the dietary fiber daily need.
Meanwhile, chocho bean or Andean lupin is the protein supplier with high fiber content. A serving of 100 grams chocho bean provide 30% of the adult daily value of fiber.
- Lower cholesterol level
A research proved the ability of lupin in reducing cholesterol by comparing the consumption of chocho bean and grains on chickens.
The result showed that chickens fed with chocho bean produced less cholesterol and liver fat. The ability of Andean lupin in reducing cholesterol relates to the ability of lupin in down regulating genes during fat synthesis.
- Good antioxidants
The other legumes such as jugo beans with Health Benefits of Jugo Beans doesn’t praised for the antioxidants level. It is different with Andean lupin which possess good amount of antioxidants.
A research found that chocho bean contains high phystosterols, which is a strong and beneficial antioxidant. As we know, antioxidants are very good to reduce the risk of cancer and avoid premature aging.
- Lower blood sugar
A certain study reported that Andean lupin may lower the blood sugar level. It is because Andean lupin is a low glycemic index food which is also able to enhance glucose metabolism. Added with the high content of fiber, the beans enable our body to digest carbohydrate slowly and avoid blood glucose spike.
- Good for diabetes
As mentioned above, consuming Andean lupin is good to lower blood sugar level. Of course, it will also be good for diabetics. A recent research found that the consumption of Andean lupin in diabetes type 2 patients showed some improvement.
It was possible as Andean lupin is able to promote the release of insulin from the pancreas. As we know, insulin is the most important hormone related to the blood glucose level and diabetes.
- Good for nature
Well, surprisingly Andean lupin is not only healthy for human, but also healthy for the nature. Chocho beans are harvested from a plant with purple flowers.
They smell fresh and beautiful so that they attract beneficial insect. It is beneficial for the fertilization process, as the plant can also fix nitrogen level in the soil, so it is beneficial for the other plants.
How to Use Andean Lupin (Chocho Bean)
To get the health benefits of Andean lupin (chocho bean); the bean should go through a proper processing. The most important in processing the bean is by soaking the bean in water for some days. Andean lupin has a slightly bitter taste due to its high alkaloid content, and the soaking process properly removes the bitterness.
After that, Andean lupin should be rinsed well for some times and cooked, as the heat can also remove the alkaloids. Chocho bean can be cooked into some kinds of foods such as soup, stew, and salad, just like how you cook the other beans.
In term of health benefits, it is also similar to the Health Benefits of Boiled Soybeans. We can also preserve chocho bean in a jar by adding salt and oil into the boiled chocho bean. Salt help preserve the bean in a perfectly covered jar.