Legumes are among the many traditional foods consumed on New Year’s. Their rounded shape, resembling coins, brings hope of financial good fortune in the coming year. While you may not accumulate any monetary wealth by participating in this ritual, you certainly will benefit nutritionally by making legumes part of your weekly meal plan.
What Is a Legume?
Simply put, a legume is a seed that grows in a pod. Beans, lentils, peas, peanuts, alfalfa, soy, and clover are all legumes. Common varieties of legumes are black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, pinto beans, garbanzo(chick peas), split peas, and soybeans (edamame). We find them as components of hummus (chick peas), tofu and tempeh (soybeans), peanut butter (peanuts), and, of course, soups and chili.
Nutritional Benefits of Legumes
Legumes are a low-fat source of protein, and a good source of fiber, iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium. For example, one cup of cooked black beans provides 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber.
Legumes also contain phytonutrients. Phytonutrients, as the name implies, are nutrients of plant origin. Black beans, for example, contain anthocyanins, the powerful antioxidants that are also found in grapes. Indeed, researchers have found that the darker the bean, the higher the antioxidant levels (i.e. black>red>brown>white beans).
Health Benefits of Legumes
Legumes are a healthier source of protein than animal protein because they are low in fat and do not contain cholesterol. For vegetarians and vegans, legumes are essential for a well-balanced diet.
The folate found in legumes helps to lower homocysteine levels. This helps reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
The high fiber content in legumes stabilizes blood sugar, which is good for diabetics but also helps those who are trying to manage their weight. The high fiber content provides a feeling of fullness and reduces hunger, while providing sustained energy.
The phytonutrients serve as antioxidants and help neutralize the constant production of harmful free radicals that form in our bodies. This in turn helps reduce our risk of many diseases like heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Legumes and Gas
You may remember the jingle “Beans, beans there good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you expel gas.” Well, its true and here is why that occurs.
Legumes contain an oligosaccharide, or short chained sugar called raffinose. Most people do not have the enzyme to digest this sugar so upon reaching the large intestine, bacteria feed on the raffinose and produce gas. This is a reason many people give for not including legumes in their diet, myself included. However, they are so nutrient rich, I did some personal investigation on ways to reduce the gas attack. Hear is what I’ve found.
To help you enjoy legumes while reducing the discomfort of bloating and flatulence (gas), you can try any of the following:
- Soaking dried legumes overnight softens the skin and improves digestibility as the sugars are released into the water. During the soaking process, change the water several times.
- Spices such as cumin or fennel help improve digestibility when cooked with legumes.
- Seaweed such as kelp or kombu can be cooked with legumes to improve digestibility.
- Canned beans have been cooked for long periods of time and therefore are easier to digest. The drawback is the high sodium content in canned foods. So rinse before eating and buy low or no-salt-added beans.
- Beano, available in pharmacies and health food stores. It contains a plant-derived enzyme that helps breakdown the raffinose before it reaches your colon, thereby reducing gas formation. It must be consumed just before the first tasty bite!
So as you begin 2011, explore the world of legumes. The winter months are a wonderful time for soups and chili. For those who are especially time constrained, making soups or chili, lends itself to leftovers or can be frozen for future consumption.
