Introduction
Black eyed cowpea, a protein-rich legume which is popularly called iron beans by many people is actually one of the popular beans consumed by many around Nigeria and most west African countries because it seems that it is more popular and actually grown in West Africa and seem to take its origin from west African and is also grown in some other countries of the world especially hot regions. Before now I had always thought that the brown beans was better, richer, and tastes better too but sometimes ago, when looking for healing foods I stumble on this particular food black eyed cowpea after so many studies on it and discovered that it has some Unique benefits which are not found in other popular beans like the brown beans which is usually common and also loved by many. There are varying species of brown and white beans but the black eyed cowpea must have gotten its name from its appearance which is a dark spot looking like a cowpea. The black eyed cowpea is easily identifiable as it is usually larger with the large dark spot.
Here are some of the its top health benefits in addition to the fact that it takes a shorter time to cook it's also a source of vitamin A which is missing in most of other beans. Here are the top main reasons to consider including black-eyed copy in your diet:
Easily digestible protein
It is true that all the proteins in the beans family or legumes do not behave the same way when they get into our body experience also have shown that black eyed cowpea is much easier and does not stress the intestine as much as other beans, the reason why it is actually referred to as cowpea maybe because of the shape and the look. I think the name may have been derived from the way it looks , looking like a cowpea though it is rich in nutrients .
Source of Protein:
It's important to continue to emphasize the importance of including sufficient daily protein in our diet and this is one of the plant-based protein that can be relied upon by those who are managing one ailment or the other such as those managing high blood pressure or diabetes. it is not easy to maintain a stable blood sugar without a good amount of protein in the diet and the same thing applies to high blood pressure and because this particular beans is a source of manganese and other nutrients like iron. It helps to support the fight against diseases and then to help lower high blood pressure the major nutrients in this beans which makes it stand out among others includes:
Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Manganese
Iron
Zinc
Vitamin A
Folate
Copper
It great for Managing High Blood Pressure
When managing any ailment, it is best to always resort foods that are easily digestible and this is where this black eyed cowpea stands out also. I have personally noticed that other types of beans cause more stress on the intestine although black-eyed cowpea when taken in very large amount also does the same thing but if taken moderately, It is a very great food for those who are managing ailments like prostate issues, diabetes high blood pressure or even weight loss program. Such food is taken in moderate amount because of its protein content and iron too. if you consider that iron is so important and looking at the above nutrients that are packed in black eyed cowpea you will agree with me that it is one of the beans that all health conscious persons should consider including in their diet. It also makes a great addition for those managing diabetes.
Bone Strenght:
If you want to have stronger bones you need foods to strengthen your bones. It is important to search for foods that are good sources of calcium, magnesium manganese these are nutrients that help even the absorption of calcium in the body so if you should consider black-eyed copy also if you need to strengthen your bones. It is a bone strengthening food but also it is important to take it moderately.
Healing Stomach Ulcers:
Black-eyed cowpea is a healing food, those who are looking for food to heal stomach ulcers should consider including this legume because of its easy digestibility also it is important to include healing foods that are easier to digest when you compare it with other beans this one does not cost much stress in the gut as eatlier noted and this is what I will recommend for those that are trying to heal stomach ulcers. It has nutrients also like iron which supports healing of stomach ulcer.
It Supports Brain Health:
Black eyed cowpea is also a brain supporting food. Itb is a source of choline, an important nutrient that supports brain health this is actually one of the reasons that I continue to retain it in my list we need foods that will support our brain even as we age and this legume is one of such foods with nutrients needed to support brain health. Choline is also found in some other beans and even rice. but taking the beans over time we will observe also an improvement in that area of our health, talking of brain health. Especially it you are sensitive to your brain activities like.
Rich in Fibre for bad Cholesterol
If you are looking for food also to help lower bad cholesterol or may be you have been diagnosed with high bad cholesterol, it is important also to consider including black-eyed Cowpea moderately in your diet because it's rich in fibre. Both soluble and insoluble fibre that helps to reduce bad cholesterol.
Helps with Constipation:
If You have been experiencing constipation, this food is one of the foods you should consider including in your diet regularly in order to avoid stubborn constipation. it supports healthy digedtion fue to the fibre content and helps push waste out of the colon.
Yeast Fighting Food
If you have been diagnosed with yeast overgrowth or you suspect there's too much yeast activity in your body then this food is one of the foods to also consider because of its easy digestibility. Again it does not feed yeast in anyway because it's not a source of sugar it's a really really very low in carbs and such foods helps to staff of yeast. if you include sufficient protein in your diet, yeast and fungus will have no place in your body to stay it is when we we consume too much sugars and starchy foods that yeasts and candida will find foods and begin to grow even fat until they begin to cause health problems for us.
Healthy Digestion:
Our digestive health is supported when we consume fibre rich foods like black eyed cowpea. It contains soluble and insoluble fibre making it a great digestive support. It is important to include more foods with fibre in our diet in order to maintain healthy digestion. Lack of fibre in the diet is the reason why many people suffer chronic constipation and other gut related issues.
Supports Heart Health
Because of its rich fibre usually soluble fibre is a great food for heart health. It is also source of potassium and magnesium this is an important nutrients that supports heart health and those who want to support their heart or who are experiencing irregular heartbeat and similar conditions also should include foods like black-eyed cowpea in their diet moderately.
How to Prepare black eyed cowpea
It is important when preparing your black-eyed cowpea to soak it by adding salt for a few hours I normally like to add boiled water because most of this legumes or beans are sprayed or sprinkled with some chemicals in order to keep Weevils and other insects away so by soaking it also helps to remove or reduce the anti nutrients that are usually found in most of these legumes with also reduce the cooking time so it's important to soak it for a few hours and maximum of overnight and by adding a sprinkle of salt and maybe refined table salt is okay in this instance and then use boiled water if available but if not normal water room temperature is still okay soak for a few hours or use boiled water to soak a few hours and wash it will use anti-nutrients in it and then reduce cooking time and makes it softer and in addition to this reduces some of the chemicals that must have been sprayed on it because of the lifespan and the shelf life of it because the sellers are usually interested in the shelf life and not in the health of the customer or consumer. they want this this legumes to be preserved for longer periods so they use all kinds of chemicals and the only way or one of the ways to ensure we consume less of it is to soak before cooking.
How to Consume your Black eyed cowpea
It is common for people to want to add some sweet potatoes or other carbohydrates while preparing there black eyed cowpea but for those who are trying to lose weight, those who are battling with other health issues like high blood pressure or diabetes those who are going through arthritis pain or other forms of inflammations this group of people should avoid adding other carbs into the Black Eyed cowpea because the Black Eyed copy contains sufficient amount of carbohydrates and should be prepared with green beans or othet green vegetables, onions, garlic and other low-calorie oe cruciferous vegetables could be added for increased nutrition but other high calorie foods and starchy veggies like plantain, some like to prepare it with plantain this is not a healthy way to consume this food for the health-conscious people but for growing children it could go well with them, but for older adults, it is important to only add green vegetables and there are several of them that you can make use of while preparing your black-eyed cowpea and it is also best to consume it after preparation within 24 hours it's even best 12 hours if you had to rewarm it, it has lost almost all the nutrients and in most cases it causes inflammation that is what I have observed and it's important to notice that if you are managing an ailment, pleass avoid rewarming your beans, avoiding refrigerating your cooked beans or black-eyed cowpea or other beans once you refrigerate it and warm it, you have lost the healing power in the beans but if you consume it the first day with the addition of onions and other nutrients like garlic a little of red oil and remember that red oil is essential for absorption it does not matter how afraid you may be of fat remember that without fat some of these foods cannot be absolved and black-eyed Cowpea is one of such foods so instead of being digested easily they cost more gas I the intestine so we should be aware of how we prepare it for proper and easier digestion and absorption because this is the target of all the foods. if it's not well digested it may not be well absorbed and if it is not well absorbed it's going to create digestive problems for us.
It is also important to avoid consuming black-eyed copy late in the evening. It is a brain food, it is best eaten at midday after your morning water therapy and other rituals to cleanse the intesti. It is best consumed or paired with green vegetables,, green beans, tomatoes, cayenne, pepper black pepper, ginger garlic, cinnamon, sea salt, turmeric and all of that should be part of it because these are foods that fight inflammations all beans including legumes are moderately inflammatory so we should support it while cooking with these anti inflammatory spices to reduce inflammation generally in the body.
Summary;
It is important also to note that those who are going through kidney problems should not consume black-eyed cowpea too much because it's high in protein, potassium, and some of the nutrients that may not favour the recovery or healing of the kidney so we should also remember that if you are experiencing high-level inflammations to reduce also the quantity of black-eyed cowpea in your diet because it's a proteinous food and during digestion a lot of waste are produced this may not support fight against inflammations.
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