What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Lima Beans

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.) are legumes that provide plant-based protein, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals. They may have benefits for weight management and heart health.

1. Supports Your Gut Health

Lima beans have 13.2 grams of fiber per cup, which covers 47% of the Daily Value (DV). Fiber is especially important for gut health.

Bacteria in the large intestine ferment and break down fiber from foods like lima beans. This process creates short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs regulate gut inflammation, strengthen the intestinal lining, and fuel the cells in the colon.

Fiber also supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. It's been shown to protect against colon cancer and diverticular disease.

2. Helps With Weight Management 

In addition to fiber, lima beans have 14.7 grams of protein per cup. Both slow digestion and stimulate the release of fullness hormones cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

Due to their high protein and fiber content, lima beans can help you lose body fat and maintain a healthy body weight. People who follow diets high in beans typically have smaller waists and less body fat.

What the Science Says: A 2023 study of 15,000 adults found that people who regularly ate legumes, including lima beans, had a lower body mass index (BMI) and leaner waist compared to people who never or rarely ate them.

Researchers found that people who did not eat legumes gained 23.5% more weight over 10 years than people who ate 47 grams or more per 1,000 calories on average.

Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a biased and outdated metric that uses your weight and height to make assumptions about body fat, and by extension, your health. This metric is flawed in many ways and does not factor in your body composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Despite its flaws, the medical community still uses BMI because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze health data.

3. Protects Your Heart Health

Lima beans are high in several nutrients linked to better heart health.

The fiber in lima beans decreases cholesterol absorption in the gut and increases its excretion in the stool. High cholesterol is a significant risk factor for heart disease. Increasing your intake can maintain normal cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease.

Lima beans are also rich in magnesium and potassium, which regulate blood pressure. One cup of lima beans covers 19% of the DV for magnesium and 20% of the DV for potassium.

Increasing your intake of these minerals can lower your blood pressure, which can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke.

What the Science Says: Regularly eating lima beans can also help maintain a healthy body weight and body fat levels, which is critical for heart health. For example:

• A 2019 review found that people with the highest bean intake had a 10% decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), the most common type of heart disease in the United States, compared to people with the lowest intake.

• A 2023 study found that bean intake can decrease the risk of heart disease. An intake of 400 grams (2 cups) of beans per week had the most heart health benefits.

4. May Improve Your Blood Sugar Control

The high fiber and protein content of lima beans helps control blood sugar. Both slow digestion and glucose (sugar) release into the bloodstream.

Lima beans also contain magnesium, which is essential for carbohydrate metabolism and insulin secretion. Having low or deficient magnesium intake can contribute to poor blood sugar control.

Choosing fiber, protein, and magnesium-rich lima beans over less nutritious carbohydrate sources, like refined carbs, can help people with and without diabetes manage their blood sugar.

What the Science Says: A 2023 review found that bean-rich diets effectively decreased fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin levels, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) in people with type 2 diabetes. They also improved insulin sensitivity.

What Nutrients Do Lima Beans Offer?

Lima beans are low in fat, yet high in carbohydrates, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

One cup of cooked lima beans provides:

• Calories: 216

• Carbohydrates: 39.3 grams (g)

• Fat: 0.7 g

• Protein: 14.7 g

• Fiber: 13.2 g

• Copper: 0.4 mg, or 47% of the Daily Value (DV)

• Manganese: 0.97 mg, or 42% of the DV

• Folate: 156 micrograms (mcg), or 39% of the DV

• Iron: 4.5 mg, or 25% of the DV

• Thiamine: 0.3 milligrams (mg), or 25% of the DV

• Potassium: 955 mg, or 20% of the DV

• Magnesium: 80.8 mg, or 19% of the DV

• B6: 0.3 mg, or 18% of the DV

• Zinc: 1.8 mg, or 16% of the DV

• Selenium: 8.46 mcg, or 15% of the DV

A cup of lima beans covers 25% or more of the DVs for copper, manganese, folate, iron, and thiamine.

Manganese is involved in immune function, bone formation, and blood clotting. Copper is required for red blood cell formation, growth, energy production, neurotransmitter synthesis, and more.

Folate is a B vitamin essential for fetal growth and development, which makes it especially important for pregnant people.

Are There Risks To Watch Out For?

Cooked lima beans are safe for most people to eat. However, due to their high fiber content, they may cause bloating and gas in people who are not used to eating fiber-rich foods.

It's best to add high-fiber foods, like lima beans, slowly and in small portions to prevent uncomfortable symptoms.

It's important to never eat raw lima beans. Raw lima beans contain toxic compounds called cyanogenic glycosides that break down into the toxin hydrogen cyanide.

Lima beans contain antinutrients, like lectins, which may interfere with nutrient absorption. Soaking, rinsing, and thoroughly cooking lima beans can significantly decrease antinutrients.

Tips for Adding Lima Beans to Your Diet

Lima beans have a mild flavor and a velvety, buttery texture. You can use them in recipes like salads, soups, and pasta. They also make a convenient pantry staple, as you can purchase them dried or canned. 

It's important to properly cook lima beans before enjoying them.

Ways to incorporate lima beans into your diet include:

• Add cooked lima beans to soups and stews.

• Make a traditional succotash with lima beans, corn, onions, and tomatoes.

• Mix lima beans into grain bowls and vegetable dishes.

• Serve mashed lima beans as a creamy side dish.

• Toss cooked lima beans into pasta.

• Use lima beans in salads and grain-based dishes to increase their protein content.