Beans, lentils, chickpeas … Legumes are very important in our diet, due to their benefits and properties. Discover why they are essential in a varied and balanced diet.
Many are the myths and legends that hang over legumes. In particular, there is a popularly widespread erroneous belief that legumes are fattening, despite the fact that we find them as a fundamental food typical of the Mediterranean diet.
In other words, legumes are fundamental foods in a varied, healthy and balanced diet, thanks to their nutritional contribution (to their nutritional wealth), and to the wide diversity of benefits and properties they possess.
They become, therefore, an essential food that perfectly completes any dish, especially because in the kitchen they stand out for being tremendously versatile, which means that we can combine them with a wide variety of ingredients.
Nutritional benefits of legumes:
This is possible thanks to the fact that they provide carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, iron, vitamins of group B and, although the opposite is thought, almost no fat, since it does not exceed 4% of its composition (except, said incidentally, from soy, which has approximately 23 grams of lipids in 100 grams).
They provide fiber, an extremely important issue to keep our digestive system healthy, facilitating the digestion process and fighting constipation. In addition, fiber helps reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels.
Really, how much fat do they have?
In other words, in direct relation to what we have commented in the previous paragraph, we can indicate that legumes contribute less than half that of cow’s milk.
Or even less than half the size of a slice of tuna. In addition, among the fatty acids that we can find in it, we distinguish linoleic acid, ideal for, for example, maintaining healthy skin.
Rich in complex carbohydrates:
Its calories have to do with its complex carbohydrates, so legumes are indicated for diabetics, since being slow-absorbed energy, they keep blood glucose levels balanced.
Great protein intake:
They have a high protein content, despite the fact that they do not have an essential amino acid, called methionine (which can be compensated by dipping a little bread at the beginning of the dish).
However, they offer us a certainly essential amino acid, essential in tissue repair: lysine.
High fiber content:
As we have mentioned in the previous lines, legumes are surprising due to their high fiber content. For example, 100 grams of chickpeas provide about 15 grams of fiber.
Fiber is essential for the proper functioning of our intestines, helping -for example- in the prevention of constipation. In addition, it is ideal in weight loss diets because it is useful to provide satiety, reducing appetite.
On the other hand, we cannot forget something fundamental: fiber helps to enjoy healthy levels of cholesterol in the blood, by helping to reduce them.
Legumes nutritional information.
In the first place, we must bear in mind that each legume has its own nutritional value, so that the nutritional contribution of a lentil will not be the same as that of a chickpea. For this reason, in the following section we will indicate the nutritional information of some of the most commonly consumed legumes:
Nutritional values of chickpeas.
100 grams of chickpeas provide:
- Energy: 336 kcal.
- Carbohydrates: 49.2 gr.
- Proteins: 19.3 gr.
- Fat: 6.3 gr.
- Fiber: 15 gr.
- Minerals: calcium (143 mg), potassium (1000 mg), sodium (30 mg), copper (1.02 mg), iron (6.80 mg), magnesium (122 mg), phosphorus (310 mg), zinc (2 mg), selenium (2 µg).
- Vitamins: vitamin A (21.5 µg), B1 (0.45 mg), B2 (0.14 mg), B3 (1.7 mg), B5 (1.59 mg), B6 (0.15 mg), vitamin C (4.1 mg), vitamin E (3.1 mg).
Nutritional values of white beans (kidney beans):
100 grams of beans provide:
- Energy: 242 kcal.
- Carbohydrates: 34.7 gr.
- Proteins: 23.2 gr.
- Fat: 1.6 gr.
- Fiber: 23.2 gr.
- Minerals: calcium (113 mg), potassium (1337 mg), sodium (15 mg), copper (1.02 mg), iron (6.2 mg), magnesium (140 mg), phosphorus (426 mg), zinc (2.6 mg), selenium (12.8 µg).
- Vitamins: vitamin B1 (0.50 mg), B2 (0.11 mg), B3 (5.28 mg), B6 (0.40 mg), B9 (112.1 µg), vitamin C (2.5 mg), vitamin E (0.21 mg).
Nutritional values of lentils.
100 grams of lentils provide:
- Energy: 310 kcal.
- Carbohydrates: 48.69 gr.
- Proteins: 24.8 gr.
- Fat: 1.2 gr.
- Fiber: 9.7 gr.
- Minerals: calcium (57.29 mg), potassium (463 mg), sodium (226 mg), copper (1.02 mg), iron (6.87 mg), magnesium (74.31 mg), phosphorus (256 mg), zinc (3.9 mg), selenium (105 µg).
- Vitamins: vitamin A (13.33 µg), B1 (0.62 mg), B2 (0.39 mg), B3 (3 mg), B5 (1.85 mg), B6 (0.65 mg), B9 (117.1 µg), vitamin C (1.7 mg), vitamin E (0.9 mg).
Properties of the most important legumes.
There is no doubt that there are many, many reasons why we should eat legumes. And, as we have shown you, not only do they not get fat but they even become an almost perfect ally in weight loss diets, thanks to their high fiber content.
For example, legumes provide complex carbohydrates. On the one hand, we must bear in mind that hydrates become the most basic nutrient, as well as the main source of energy for our body.
To this we must add that legumes are rich in slowly absorbed carbohydrates, giving us energy little by little and not producing blood glucose peaks. Therefore, they are very suitable for people with diabetes.
They become a good ally for vegetarians and vegans, mainly due to their high protein value. In fact, they become one of the foods of plant origin with the highest protein content. A good example is soy, which provides quality proteins similar to those provided by meat.
On the other hand, thanks to their contribution of fiber, they are not only allies in case of constipation (by improving the functioning of our intestinal transit), but they also help to reduce high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
How much quantity of legumes should we consume?
Given that it is not advisable to abuse the proteins of animal origin that foods such as meat or dairy provide us (especially if these come from red meat, considered by the WHO as a food that could increase the risk of colon cancer), the truth is that legumes become a nutritionally adequate option to provide quality proteins to our diet.
In this sense, it is advisable to consume between 2 to 3 servings of legumes a week. Paying special attention to those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. In these cases, it is advisable to consume 5 servings of legumes a week.
