Fava Beans in the World
Fava Beans have long been part of the Eastern Mediterranean Diet. Records indicate human consumption of the bean since 6000 BC. Fava Beans are a major food item in Middle Eastern Counties – Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Libya and the Sudan. Years ago, Fava Beans were part of the British Diet but as meat and dairy products became more available, Fava Beans, the diet of the poor, fell out of favor with the more affluent.
Fava Beans have not been a usual part of the American diet, although US farmers grow Fava Beans but export most of them. In English speaking countries the Fava Bean is usually called “Broad Bean”. Smaller, harder seeds of some varieties of Fava Beans may be called “Horse Bean” or “Field Bean” and are part of animal feed or used in Falafel, which is a pulse (mash) of Fava Beans and/or Chickpeas prepared in balls, fried and eaten with pita bread – a common street food in Israel.
Food insecurity
The Nuttee Co. recognizes that in America, seemingly a world of plenty, there is food insecurity in segments of the population, despite vast supplies of food produced in the US and imported from various sources. And throughout the world, there is hunger and starvation, again, with adequate amounts of foods produced to feed populations. It is poverty that prevents access to food sources.
The World Bank has made strides in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger through investing in agriculture, creating jobs, expanding social safety nets, expanding nutrition programs that target children under 2 years of age, universalizing education, promoting gender equality and protecting vulnerable countries during crisis. The world’s food needs are continuous with an increasing population.
An alternative, sustainable, plant based solution
As Nuttee Ben Co launches it’s fabulous Roasted Fava Bean Snack product, it does not lose sight of the fact there is food insecurity throughout the world. Our snack is produced from a renewable plant source, fava beans, which are high in protein, fiber, folate, iron and micronutrients. In fact, the great news is Fava Beans have the potential to become a future source of protein to replace and/or reduce meat intake in the human diet. The Fava Bean is almost fat free, contains no saturated fat and contributes small amounts of healthy fat in the form of Omega –3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. During the roasting process, some additional fat is added.
Our snack’s main ingredient is Fava Bean – seeds from pods produced by the leguminous fava bean plant, which can be a major contributor to a healthy diet. Fava Beans are a low saturated fat source of protein with significant nutritional value to humans. Nutrients from plant sources harvested and directed to the marketplace, have the agricultural advantage of by passing the labor intensive process of producing crops to feed animals, then to be harvested for human consumption.
Healthier choices for a better future
Increasing the present and future use of Fava Beans as a protein food source for humans can play a huge role in improving the nutritional quality of the diet by eliminating saturated fats from animal food sources. The incidence of cardiovascular disease is associated with an animal based diet. Increasing the amounts and frequency of plant foods in our diet can reduce the incidence of heart disease. Using plant foods reduces costs involved with producing animals as a food source. The cultivation of crops on diminishing supplies of arable land, the harvesting of crops to feed animals, plus the time for animals to grow and mature before being processed into meat sources are costly and labor intensive.
Bibliography:http://www.worldhunger.org/ https://newint.org/ http://www.worldbanklorg/mdgs/proverty-hunger.html/ http://nutritiondata.self.com/ http://www.enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html http://www.eatright.org/
