A group of women in Nakuru County has embarked on an ambitious project of growing organic beans to popularize their consumption in the country as a healthy food for longevity.
The Chairperson of the Organic Beans group, Jacinta Wairimu said a number of people avoid eating beans because they are deemed as the major cause of flatulence.
Wairimu however, said that was due to poor cooking. She was speaking on Friday during an exhibition of the beans in Nakuru town.
The organic beans champion said organic farming doesn’t utilize synthetic materials such as fertilizers and pesticides, instead they rely on crop residues, green manure and crop rotation.
She added that although organic farming is still widely used in developing countries, majorly due to poverty, but they have emerged as the best concepts of farming in the developed countries as a result of proving to be an alternative to crops cultivated using harmful industrial chemicals.
The Chairperson added that industrial food and farming systems have been found to be a threat to people’s health in many ways, and that was the reason the western countries are rethinking the usage of synthetic materials in food production.
“Making poor choices about the food that we consume on a daily basis can lead to becoming overweight, undernourished and it increases the risk of developing arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. We should think of food as a medicine and use it to maintain our health and to prevent diseases,’’ she stated.
Wairimu said various research studies on healthy foods have proved that beans are associated with a long life since they are a whole food, plant-based protein, contain iron and they are full of fibre.
She added that the consumption of beans and other legumes is also associated with a slimmer waistline and helps lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer.
By Veronica Bosibori
