Beans: The High-Protein Food That's Healthy and Cheap

If we had to choose a theme song, it might be, "We Are the Champions," the anthem that rocks every Super Bowl game. But we YOU Docs are the champions of things: Whole grains? Check. DHA omega-3s? Check. Vitamin D3? Check. High-protein beans? Still working on those.

Amid feasts of humongous turkeys, rib roasts, and country hams peaks, we're cheering on our favorite high-protein food -- the one that's loaded with phytonutrients, lowers your LDL (bad) cholesterol, and even fights belly fat. Yep, beans do all that and more. Here's why we're gonna beat this drum until we've got a parade going:

• belly fat. This is recent news, people. Beans' soluble fiber chases away dangerous, deep-down, visceral belly fat -- the glacky stuff that threatens your vital organs.
• Blood sugar. Beans have a low glycemic index, which means they're digested slowly and stabilize your blood sugar. Translation: They're great for anyone who has or is worried about type 2 diabetes. These three questions will tell you if you're speeding down the type 2 diabetes highway.
• Blood pressure. Beans are rich in artery-friendly minerals and healthful plant protein. People who get their protein from plants tend to have better blood pressure than those who get it from four- or two-legged animals.
• Heart health. The soluble fiber in beans helps reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a worrying factor for heart attacks.
• Cancer. Another new finding in 2011: Simply eating beans three times a week helps prevent colon cancer (you're 33% less likely to develop polyps). Beans also fight this kind of cancer.
• Cool beans!

What's not to like? Oh, those gas attacks? Ease into eating beans, and take Beano until your body is used to them. Beano's natural enzymes deflate gas attacks. (Get it at grocery stores). The elevator crowd will thank you.