Snap Peas & Green Beans: Yes, Pick & Eat, No, Not Paleo

Green beans and snap peas…pick them and eat them, straight from the garden!   A great, healthy, Paleo snack, right?

Wrong.

Remember, all beans contain anti nutrients (lectins & saponins), which bind to vitamins  & minerals, preventing us from being able to reap all their benefits.  In addition, the anti nutrients contribute to increased intestinal permeability, and a condition known as leaky gut.

Ultimately, one of the main objectives of a modern Paleo regime is to create an anti inflammatory eating patter which allows the body to heal from previous consumption of the Standard American Diet.

For more science behind this, be sure to check out Dr. Cordain’s post on this very topic here.

By the way, just because you can pick and eat them, doesn’t make them a good option to ingest.  You could also pick and eat a poisonous mushroom, for that matter!

Now, here’s the proverbial grain of salt to consider:   if you’re new to Paleo or are partly Paleo and have decided after your own experimenting that you prefer to eat some legumes now and then, that’s always your prerogative, and of course, gardening with your children and having them snack on snap peas is far better than buying them the horrible pretend food marketed to them in the shops.

However, they’re still not Paleo.  Better to opt for dark leafy greens, brightly colored bell peppers, and brilliant ripe berries in order to get your fill of a rainbow of produce all day long!