Fava beans

Fava beans are legumes, fruits of Vicia faba that is a plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. Fava beans are rich in plant-based proteins and nutritive substances and are a very healthy food typical of the spring. The fava beans contain mineral salts such as iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, important to support the immune system, vitamins such as vitamins A, C, group B, resulting for this reason a source of energy and a protection for the nervous system, and folic acid. The fava beans bring fibers, important to treat constipation and to lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels, the fibers also help to maintain body weight and make fava beans a very interesting food for the diets of overweight people. A very important feature to point out is that the fava beans and their pods contain levodopa, especially if the beans are young and fresh while dry beans lose much of this substance. Levodopa is the precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the good functioning of the body's movements and absent in case of diseases such as Parkinson’s illness, levodopa is contained, in fact, in several drugs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.Therefore the consumption of fava beans seems to improve the associated symptoms of Parkinson's disease in the sphere, for example, of movement. This statement is evidenced by scientific studies, here we report the 1993 study published in the journal Advances in neurology and performed by a team of the Neurology Department of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel. However, ask always your doctor for any interactions and individual allergies. Fava beans can be eaten raw, added to salads, in puree or cooked in soups, but in this case many healthful substances are lost. The pods can also be eaten, boiled and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. The only contraindication of the fava beans is for those people who suffer from favism, a hereditary illness that comes after the eating of fresh beans.