Navy Beans

Navy bean or haricot bean is a variety of common beans. It is particularly popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. It features in such dishes as baked beans and even pies, as well as in various soups such as Senate bean soup. Consumption of baked beans has been shown to lower total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This might be at least partly explained by high saponin content of navy bean. Saponins also exhibit antibacterial and anti-fungal activity, and have been found to inhibit cancer cell growth. Furthermore, navy bean is the richest source of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid among the common bean varieties. It is commonly known as the "Navy Bean" due to its use as a staple of United States Navy rations in the 19th century. Navy bean varieties include: Great Northern Rainy River Robust Michelite Sanilac Other white beans include cannellini, a variety popular in central and southern Italy, which is related to the kidney bean and, like the kidney bean, has higher levels of the toxic lectin phytohaemagglutinin. White beans are the most abundant plant-based source of phosphatidylserine yet known.