Cowpea
It is a oval, creamy white bean with a black eye. Soft textured. An excellent source of fiber and folate and a good source of iron. This bean is available as a fresh or dried bean to be used in soups, side dishes. It is also known as a Black-Eyed Cowpea. It has various health benefits as well as important vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition of Cowpea
Cowpea is rich in potassium with good amount of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It also has small amount of iron, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. Cowpea is rich in vitamin A and C. It has good amount of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid. It also has small amount of folate. Cow peas contains around 25% protein and low in fat. Consuming 100 gm of cow pea gives around 343 calories.
Health Benefit of Cowpea
Cowpea tones the spleen, stomach and pancreas; it helps induce urination and relieves damp conditions like leucorrhea.
The soluble fiber found in these beans have a low glycemic index and provide low risk for diabetes.
The high fiber content also plays an important role in improving diabetes.
They are rich in lignans, which may play a role in preventing osteoporosis,
heart disease, and certain cancers.
The flavonoids in beans may help reduce heart disease and cancer risk.
Phytosterols present in the beans help reduce blood cholesterol levels.
They are low in fat and sodium and contain no cholesterol.
