Benefits of legumes in your diet...

Lentils, beans, chickpeas, tempeh, tofu, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are all packed with protein and you can get all of the essential amino acids you need by eating a variant of these plant based foods. We often think that meat is our only supplier of this macronutrient but I’d love to have a look further into ways of lessening our meat intake and to include more plant foods into our diets for better health outcomes.

A lot of people say they can’t eat them as they give them gas, make them fart and this can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Apparently if you introduce them slowly and in small amounts you can build up a tolerance for them. You should be able to gradually increase your intake over this time.

Daily protein requirements by body weight:

Women 19-70 - 0.75g/kg

Women over 70 - 0.94g/kg

Men 19-70 - 0.84g/kg

Men over 70 - 1.07g/kg

Don’t rely on protein powders as you will miss some key nutrients like iron and zinc. Try and eat the plants to gain all the vital nutrients your body needs.

Your legumes are packed full of iron and no cholesterol which serves your heart well on its way to being a healthy one lessening risks of blood pressure and keeping your cholesterol levels under check. Also packed with plenty of fibre, vitamins, numerous minerals and a beneficial slow releasing energy.

Beans v Meat...

Beans can provide similar nutritional benefits as meat but they have less saturated fat and cholesterol. Growing beans uses far less water, energy and land than meat production therefore a smaller carbon footprint. Research tells us that eating more vegetables helps with weight gain, reducing cholesterol, helps with our skin, reduces the risk of chronic disease, is good for the environment, is cost effective and nutritionally better for us. Fewer than 1 in 10 Australian adults are getting enough veggies in their diet. That's not a good statistic when we look at how good vegetables are for us!

I now know why you presoak legumes before you cook them (that's if they are raw and uncooked). For some legumes soaking enables the conversion of the concentrated starches to promote better digestion. If the starches are undigested in your system they get attacked by your intestinal bacteria which then forms carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas which you guessed it, causes flatulence and a great loss of nutritional benefits.

The Carob Bean is a great source of calcium and is nearly three times that of cow's milk. Chick Peas are a fibre rich bean and if you need help with a cholesterol free diet the fibre in these beans contacts itself with bile to eliminate cholesterol from the body. Green Beans supply a good source of folate. Kidney Beans are a great source of carbohydrate and an excellent source of fibre and are ideal for diabetics. Lentils have a very low fat content with excellent fibre that helps to lower cholesterol. Lima Beans are one of the foods richest in potassium. Mung Beans are ready to supply you complete proteins. Peas are a good source of magnesium. Peanuts (are a legume did you know?) are a very good source of B vitamins. Soy Beans provide essential fatty acids - omega 6 and omega 3 and are a great source of iron.

Soy Bean products include soy milk, tempeh, tamari, tofu, miso, soy flour and soy sauce. The beans over time have produced many foods and numerous products. Did you know that they provide a nearly unique source of genistein, an isoflavone providing protection against prostrate cancer, as genistein blocks cancer cells from reproducing.

Source: No Meat May and Laugh with Health - Manfred Urs Koch