As small as they may be, black beans are surprisingly packed with loads of minerals, vitamins and fibers. All of these are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and luckily enough, they are safe for your dog to eat as well! With loads of health benefits, black beans can prove to be a nutritional supplement of choice that your dog will love, under the careful supervision of their owner!
Spill The Beans, What’s So Great About Them?
In around a half a cup of beans, you will find over seven grams of protein, over seven grams of fiber, low sugar content at around .28 grams, and tons of minerals including Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Zinc! Your dog will not need over half a cup at once, but this shows how abundant the healthy minerals and substances in black beans are!
Crucial to bone structure and growth, the minerals Phosphorus, Calcium and Magnesium will help ensure the proper growth and maintenance of your dog’s skeletal structure. A large percentage of each of these minerals are stored in the bones, so adding black beans to their diet will help dogs of all ages, from a new puppy to a seasoned veteran!
The fibers found in black beans will help your dog create a more healthy and sustainable bowel movement, keeping the digestive tract and gastrointestinal system in check. Fibers are also an excellent source of regulating blood sugar levels, so black beans are even more desirable for dogs with diabetes! The fibers will help ease constipation, should your dog be experiencing it, and will overall help deter obesity through assisting in proper digestive movement.
With a low Sodium count, and an abundance of minerals listed above such as Potassium and Calcium, black beans can be an excellent supplement to reduce blood pressure.
A mineral called Selenium found in black beans acts as a powerful antioxidant, assisting the enzymes involved in liver function, helping to ward off cancer compounds and slow down the growth of tumors.
The minerals, along with Vitamin B6, help to protect the healthy functioning of your dog’s heart.
Vitamin K found in black beans will also assist in bone and heart health.
Some Cautions And Steps Before Feeding
Beans sound pretty great, don’t they? Well, as with all human foods being fed to your dog, there are some considerations and steps to take beforehand.
First, never serve your dog raw beans! Raw beans are almost inedible for dogs, and they will unlikely digest properly in their system, leading to problems such as an upset stomach, diarrhea or vomiting. In addition to being inedible, raw beans pose a choking hazard, a risk that should always be avoided.
The best way to serve your dog beans is through soaking and cooking them. If your beans are coming from a can, be sure to always cook them first, just as you would for yourself. If you are feeding them dry beans, soak them overnight, then cook them the day of. Soaking and cooking the beans will help ensure that they will be properly digested by your dog, while also deterring the choking hazard. Cooking them will also help reduce the gas issue they may face when first introduced!
Beans can be served as a snack or as a supplement in their daily meal(s), but be sure to not overfeed, and allow your commercial or homemade dog food to supply them with most of the proteins and minerals they need. An excessive amount of beans means they will consume more salt than necessary. Too much salt, in extreme cases, can put your dogs life at risk.
Other Healthy Beans!
In addition to black beans, many other forms of beans are healthy for your dog. These include;
- Green Beans
- White Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Soybeans
Feed Them Beans, And You Shall See!
Clearly, black beans can prove to be a powerful food, being loaded with healthy minerals and substances. Under the careful supervision of their owner, feeding your dog considerate amounts of black beans as a nutritional supplement provides a large quantity of benefits to be seen. Remember the few basic steps for proper preparation, and your dog will enjoy devouring down on beans forever!
Sources
Ware, Megan. “Black Beans: Health Benefits, Facts, and Research.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 10 Jan. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289934.php#nutrition.
Ware, Megan. “Vitamin K: Health Benefits, Daily Intake, and Sources.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 22 Jan. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219867.php#benefits.
Hi, I am Andrew. I am the editor at FamilyWithPets. I am enjoy learning and sharing information about pets that helps enrich the lives of pets and pet parents.