7 Ways To Up Your Legume Intake (And Why You Need To!)

Legumes are a common component of vegan and vegetarian diets but in the average omnivore diet, they legumes aren’t consumed frequently and don’t commonly appear on the dining table. I hope this article will help you turn that around with not only some really great reasons why you should be having them (seriously you need to) but also some simple ways to include them.

What are legumes?

Legumes, also known as pulses, are a family of plants including chickpeas, beans like faba, kidney, black, soy and navy beans, peas, lupins, lentils and peanuts (yes they are actually a legume!)

 

Why consume legumes?

Legumes are a nutritional powerhouse, they are a fantastic source of plant protein, dietary fibre and prebiotics making them fantastic for the gut. Some of the key science-backed benefits of legumes are:

  • Good source of iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus

  • Fantastic source of plant protein

  • Great source of dietary fibre

  • Low glycemic index meaning a slow and steady release of the carbohydrates

  • Naturally low in fat

  • Help keep bowel movements regular

  • Associated with reduced risk colon cancer, type 2 diabetes

  • Associated with better blood sugar control and cholesterol

 

What about legumes and gut health?

As a dietitian who specialises in digestive health, legumes are one of my favourite foods. When is comes to gut health, legumes are not only incredibly beneficial due to their high fibre content and plant based protein, but they are also a natural prebiotic.

The microbiome (colony of bacteria housed in our digestive tract) feeds on prebiotic rich foods which in turn leads to a thriving and diverse microbial community in the gut.  A diverse and thriving microbial community in the gut is now known to be associated with many aspects of health including immunity, digestive health, disease risk and even mental health and mood. What better reason to include legumes than a healthy digestive tract. If you are worried about lectins in legumes make sure you pop on over and read the article I wrote here on lectins and how you can still consume legumes without the lectins.

 

Healthy Ways to Include more legumes:

At the moment I am obsessed with the Human Beans Co puffed faba beans and for those who are new to consuming legumes, these can be a fun way to add them into your diet. Some of my other suggestions for upping your gut boosting legume intake are:

  • Incorporate chickpeas or 4 bean mix into salads

  • Toss Human Bean Co air puffed faba beans through salads

  • Sprinkle Human Bean Co air puffed faba beans on soups

  • Add chickpeas to stir fry dishes

  • Add black beans or kidney beans to tacos or chili con carne

  • Snack on hummus and carrots

  • Use pulse pasta instead of regular pasta

If you haven’t made my CHOC-CHUNK COOKIE DOUGH bars yet, you are missing out, and yes they are a sneaky way to add legumes into your diet, and trust me when I say you will fall in love right away.

Looking for more legume-based recipes? Make sure you check out my FREE 7-Day GUT-LOVING MEAL PLAN. As you now know, legumes are a gut-loving power house so this menu has plenty of great recipes and ways to include legumes in your diet! Enjoy x

NutritionMarika DayComment