Like all green vegetables they stimulate the action of the kidneys. All green vegetables are particularly valuable to those who drink little water.
The dried Lima bean, used during the winter, may be boiled or baked. If old, they are practically indigestible.
Kidney Beans contain much water but are more nutritious than the string bean.
Soy Bean. In China and Japan this bean is used extensively. Being rich in protein, used with rice it makes a well-balanced diet.
The soy bean is made into various preparations, one of the most important being shoyo, which has been introduced into other countries. To make it, the soy bean is cooked and mixed with roasted wheat flour and salt; into this is put a special ferment. It is then allowed to stand for an extended time in casks. The result is a thick, brown liquid with a pungent, agreeable taste. It is very nourishing.
A kind of cheese is also made by boiling the soy bean for several hours, wrapping the hot mass in bundles of straw, and putting it in a tightly closed cellar for twenty-four hours.
Lentils are not commonly used in this country, but they were one of the earliest vegetables to be cultivated in Asia and the Mediterranean countries. They are usually imported and may be obtained in the markets. They are used like dried peas and are fully as nourishing, but the flavor of the lentil is pronounced and they are not so agreeable to the average person as peas or beans.
Nuts
Nuts are classed with the carbo-nitrogenous foods, because of the more nearly equal proportion of proteins and carbonaceous substances.