What are the health benefits of legumes?

Ever wondered what legumes are and whether you've eaten them or not? Legumes are a staple in many cuisines and dishes across the world, and come with a number of health benefits. 

Let’s take a look at what legumes are and the health benefits they may offer.

What are legumes?

Legumes are a class of vegetables that include beans, peas, chickpeas  and lentils. You may have cooked with black beans, lentils, kidney beans or eaten edamame or canned baked beans as a snack before. 

Legumes belong to the Fabaceae or Leguminosae family and the words, beans, legumes and pulses are often used interchangeably, however technically legumes are the entire plant including the stem, pods and leaves while a pulse is the edible seed (i.e the bean, pea or lentil). For this a article we will use the term legumes interchangeably with pulses.

Examples of legumes

You have probably seen packets of dried legumes, canned and even frozen and maybe not even realised what they are.

• Have you enjoyed baked beans (Navy or also called Haricot beans,) possibly cold straight from the can, a popular food when camping?
• More recently you may have tried Edamame beans, which are young soy beans, picked whilst still green. Edamame beans are often eaten in Japanese cuisine.  
• There are also a variety of lentils, brown, French (grey), red, yellow and green perfect for curries, stews and making dahl. 
• You may have also eaten chickpeas in a salad, curry or blended up in hummus dip. 
• Kidney beans are often in Mexican food in dishes like Chilli Con Carne.
• Black beans are a famous ingredient of beef and black beans on your local Chinese restaurant menu. 
• Many people don’t realise that green peas, the ones you might have in the freezer are actually a legume too. 

These are all examples of legumes that people often consume without knowing.

Nutritional information of Legumes

There are many benefits of eating legumes, in fact legumes are a nutrition power house of protein, carbohydrate, fibre, iron, zinc, magnesium, B group vitamins and more. They are low in fat and contain virtually no saturated fat, the type we want to keep low for our heart health. Legumes contain a mix of dietary fibres. 

Dietary fibre is the part of the plant that is resistant to digestion. Some types of dietary fibre can be fermented in the large intestine, whilst others may have a laxative effect. Having a range of fibres is one of  the great health benefits of legumes.

It is recommended depending on age that we eat 5 serves of vegetables per day which legumes can be included in and between 2.5-3 serves of the lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds, and legumes or beans food group (plant based meat alternative). 

Half a cup of cooked legumes is a serve of vegetables and 1 cup cooked as a plant based meat alternative. 

• ½ cup of legumes provides around:
• 20 grams of carbohydrate, 
• 7-9 grams of dietary fibre, 
• 8 grams of protein making them an excellent source and 
• 1 gram of fat.

Legumes are low in glycaemic index (rising blood glucose levels slowly) important particularly for those prone to high blood glucose levels thanks to the slow release carbohydrate they contain, yet another benefit of eating legumes. Including legumes in a meal can help reduce the overall glycaemic index of the meal, so add a few scoops in where you can, even as a side like you would any other vegetable to the meal.

Are there health benefits to legumes?

What are the Pros?

The Living Healthy Report 2023 report data shows us Australians have good reason to be eating legumes and enjoy the health benefits of eating legumes more than they do. Australians purchase only just over half the number of serves of vegetables the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend, and research shows that a diet low in legumes is the number one dietary risk factor contributing to risk of chronic disease. 

A diet high in plant foods, including legumes has plenty of research to suggest a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and raised blood glucose levels.

The fibre content of legumes helping keep your bowels regular benefits not just how you feel when you have regular bowels but also your bowel and gut health. The prebiotic fibre in legumes, the type that your gut bacteria can ferment acts like food for the bacteria. The gasses they produce, others around you might not like, but that gas from this fermentation can have beneficial effects through the body including for  mood and immune health.

Legumes can also assist with lowering LDL or bad cholesterol again due to the dietary fibre, particularly the soluble fibre. 

The slowly released carbohydrate, the protein and dietary fibre of legumes help keep you full for longer, increasing what we all satiety, or the feeling of satisfying, fullness which may be of benefit in weight management. 

You may have heard of sprouted legumes. These are legumes that have started to grow, hence ‘sprouted’. You can sprout your own at home by soaking the legume in water, rinsing and changing the water a few times a day. Mung beans are a fun one to do at home. Sprouting can help with making them easier to digest and making some of the nutrients in the legume more available for absorption. Even though sprouted the legumes will require cooking.

What are the cons:

Legumes contain phytic acid which can interfere with the absorption of some minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium. For most people this isn’t significant enough to cause a deficiency. People who may consider phytic acid’s action are those who have legumes as a staple in their diet, which most Australians are far from this intake level. ,

Legumes can also cause bloating and flatulence due to the fermentation of the prebiotic fibres, however the amount they cause varies for different beans and for different people. One study showed it probably doesn’t cause as much flatulence as people think however  some people may need to monitor the level of legumes they can tolerate. 

How many servings per day?

In the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating legumes contribute to serves of both vegetables and plant based meat alternatives. ½ cup of cooked or canned legumes/beans or lentils is considered a serve of vegetables and 1 cup a serve of plant based meat alternative.

You could eat legumes every day, and many people who don’t eat animal foods might, as a good protein source.  The Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council recommends eating ½ a cup of cooked legumes 2-3 times per week. This is based on a range of research around legumes helping to reduce the risk of chronic disease such as heart disease. 

Ways to add more legumes into your diet

• A bowl of edamame beans for an afternoon snack
• throw some chickpeas, kidney beans or brown lentils on your salad
• add kidney beans or brown lentils into spaghetti bolognaise
• eat hummus with cut up vegetables for a snack or drizzled over your salad instead of dressing
• use chickpea or lupin flour to roll chicken in before crumbing and crumb with lupin flakes
• Throw in a can of mixed beans into a soup or dried soup mix

Tips: 

• Rinse you canned legumes to reduce the salt
• Use the juice from canned chickpeas in place of eggs when needing whipped egg white. You will be surprised how well that whip up!
• Adding legumes to meat dishes makes the meal go further, legumes are much more economical on the wallet!

Summary

This information should have answered beyond any doubt, the question, Are legumes healthy to eat? Whether it be for your heart health or gut, legumes are a food to include more than occasionally, we need to be enjoying them at least a few times a week.

Related Articles:

• Are baked beans good for you?
• How to get more high protein vegetarian foods in your diet
• 5 of the best, affordable (and healthier) pantry staples

Reviewed by healthylife advisory board July 2023.