Overview

• Professor Franklin Joseph of Dr Frank’s Weight Loss Clinic advises a 100 g daily serving—about half a tin—of butter (lima) beans to support heart health and curb appetite.
• He explains that the beans’ soluble fibre attaches to cholesterol in the digestive tract, aiding its elimination before it can enter the bloodstream.
• Holland & Barrett points to a study in which 120 g of beans five times per week was linked to reduced LDL cholesterol, but media coverage does not assess the study’s methodology or effect size.
• The NHS recommends 30 g of daily fibre and specifically urges adding pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to meals to help meet that target.
• Tinned butter beans cost around 49 pence at major UK retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, making them an inexpensive way to boost both soluble and insoluble fibre and increase fullness.