• Scientific name: Phaseolus vulgaris
• English name: Green Beans
• Other name: String Beans, Snap beans, French beans.
• Season: Available all year round, they are at its best and cheapest during their peak months of May to October. Canned and frozen green beans are available too.

Sitaw also known as green beans are one of the only few varieties of beans that are eaten fresh. Green beans are picked while still immature and the inner bean is just beginning to form. These bright green and crunchy beans are usually deep emerald green in color and come to a slight point at either end. Green beans range in size, but they usually average four inches in length. In comparison to the dried bean varieties, the green bean offers less protein and more fiber and other nutrients.

Green Beans Varieties:

• Baby French and Haricot are thinner and more tender than conventional long beans.
• Chinese long beans measures 12-14 inches in length and are prepared the same as regular green beans.

Health Benefits of Green Beans:

• An alkaline vegetable; it is therefore beneficial for people who are acidic.
• Offer cardiovascular protection. The antioxidant in this vegetable helps to prevent cholesterol from becoming oxidized. Oxidized cholesterol is able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, where it can cause blocked arteries, heart attack or stroke.
• Help lower high blood pressure.
• Help prevent weakening of the bone.
• Green Beans fiber can help promote a healthy colon because of its ability to bind to cancer-causing toxins, removing them from the body before they can harm colon cells.
• Help prevent DNA damage.
• Have strong anti-inflammatory effects which make it effective in diseases where inflammation takes place, such as arthritis and asthma.
• Helpful for menstruating women and for people who are at risk of iron deficiency.
• An energy food.
• A diet food because it contains few calories.
• Beneficial for lactating women because it help increase the nutrient in breastmilk.

Nutrient Content of String Beans: per 100g

• Vitamin E: 0.45mg
• Vitamin. B1 (Thiamin): 0.074mg
• Vitamin. B2 (Riboflavin): 0.097mg
• Vitamin. B3 (Niacin): 0.614mg
• Vitamin B6: 0.056mg
• Vitamin C: 9.7mg
• Calcium: 44mg
• Magnesium: 18mg
• Potassium: 46mg
• Sodium: 1mg
• Zinc: 0.25mg
• Iron: 0.65mg
• Copper: 0.057mg
• Protein: 1.89g
• Carbohydrates: 7.88g
• Fiber: 3.2g
• Fat: 0.28g
• Calories: 35