Mung beans: nutrition, cooking tips and health benefits
Uncooked whole mung beans
Mung beans (Vigna radiata L.) are part of the legume family which include chickpeas, peanuts and soybeans. Mung beans are a great plant-based source of protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You can find mung beans in grocery stores as whole dried beans or split dried beans. Bean sprouts often used in Asian cuisines are the sprouted version of mung beans. Vegan protein powders may include mung bean powder in their blend.
How to use mung beans in cooking?
Mung beans have a mild flavor. You can use them in soups, curries, or add them in salads. Unlike other beans, mung beans don’t need to be soaked before cooking. The cook time without soaking mung beans on the stovetop is between 30-40 minutes. Cook for a shorter time to get an al dente texture if adding to salads.
In the Philippines, we have a famous mung bean soup called munggo, a dish with pork, vegetables (spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, bitter melon) flavored with garlic and fish sauce. You can find my version of the recipe here.
What is the nutrition content of mung beans?
1 cup of cooked, whole mung beans contain:
Energy: 212 calories
Protein: 14 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Fiber: 15 grams
Calcium: 55 mg
Iron: 2.8 mg
Folate: 321 mcg
Mung beans are an excellent source of essential amino acids compared to grains. It is high in leucine, an essential amino acid necessary for stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
What are the health benefits of mung beans?
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
Mung beans contains several antioxidants: flavonoids, phenolic acid, quercetin, isovitexin and vitexin. Anti-inflammatory effects of mung beans can help in conditions like arthritis and sepsis. (1). The antioxidant properties of mung beans can help reduce inflammation which is thought to contribute to development of diseases.
Blood sugar-lowering effects
Mung beans have a low glycemic index, meaning that it won’t raise your blood sugar rapidly after eating. Animal studies showed that mung beans had a low glycemic response, improved insulin resistance and lowered inflammation by reducing oxidative stress. In clinical trials, mungs beans had similar glucose-lowering effects in people with prediabetes (1). Mung beans may be able to reduce diabetes risk and manage symptoms of diabetes.
Supports immune function
Polysaccharides in mung beans were found to activate macrophages which are important cells in the immune system. (1).
Lowering blood pressure
Peptides in mung beans reduced blood pressure in both in vitro and animal studies. The effect was mainly seen in protein hydrolysates of mung beans.
Take away
Mung beans are an excellent source of protein and nutrients. Animal and human studies showed that mung beans have health benefits like antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. More studies on mung beans in humans is needed to investigate its health benefits. However, eating legumes like mung beans regularly can reduce the risk of diseases and can help improve symptoms of conditions like diabetes.
References
Hou D, Yousaf L, Xue Y, et al. Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1238.
