Beans are foods whose nutritional benefits and overall contributions to general health and wellbeing have often been underrated and downplayed, with the role the legume played as the ideal substitute for meat. During The Great Depression being implicated as the sole reason behind its association with the now infamous epithet: 'poor man's meat' - a scarcely-merited label that has seen the food disappear from the lavish seven-course menus in the banquets of the affluent, whilst becoming central to the masses' meals. This work seeks to inspire a return to the basics, an address of the common misconceptions. The purpose of this work is to put beans back on the dietary map on the dietary map as the ultimate dietary staple. It starts by tracing the dietary significance and economic importance of beans from the earliest of times - way before there was ever an organized body of knowledge that has now come to be known as nutrition and dietetics in more recent times. This historical perspective of beans' importance gives insight, provides precedent, and sets the tone for the rest of the work. The succeeding parts of this book broadly highlights the nutrient content and nutritional importance of beans. The spotlight is placed on beans' importance as a veritable and ample source of nutrients that are vital to bodily functions and metabolism. Such nutrients as proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals are contained in sufficient amounts in the legume. Also highlighted is the food crop's richness in folates; a nutrient necessary for the proper neural development of foetus during pregnancy, which makes it a very important food for expectant mothers. And it gets even better with the fact that all these nutritional benefits are in the offing with very little or nothing offered in the way of saturated fats and bad cholesterol - substances harmful to the body when present in high amounts. The later parts of this work are dominated by the chemical composition of beans, a tabulated nutritional formulation of some selected species, as well as examples of some very nutritious varieties that you might want to be on the lookout for on your next trip to the grocery store. There is also a detailed description of the dietary importance of beans and the implications of these dietary importance to overall health and wellbeing. When incorporated as a key part of daily diet, beans is known to bring about such health benefits as regulating blood sugar levels, curtailing hypercholesterolemia, maintaining healthy functioning of the heart, controlling weight and appetite, remedying diabetics, reducing susceptibility to cancers, maintaining a healthy gut and preventing fatty liver condition, amongst other important health benefits. What better way to come to a climax than draw the curtain on a mouth-watering note with an exposee into some exquisite beans recipes? The versatility of beans is such that it seamlessly fits into a number of recipes cutting across main dish, side dish, appetizer, snack, and even baked goods recipes. Beans offer the luxury of both healthy and tasty in one fell 'scoop' - that's two for the price of one. And how often are we afforded such a luxury on a platter? It really doesn't get better than beans!