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Legumes are Bad for You? What you Need to Know

From my quick search of “legumes are bad for you”, I came across several articles with similar claims about why legumes are bad. Is there any truth to these claims? What does science have to say about why legumes are bad?

Some claims against legumes are specific to a single type of legume (ex. phytoestrogens in soy, aflatoxins in peanuts). The first and most popular reason people claim legumes are bad for you is that they contain lectins. There’s no research to sufficiently support the theory that eating a diet high in lectins is harmful to health. On the contrary, foods high in lectins including legumes, whole grains, and vegetables, are some of the most health-promoting foods you…

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Featured

 Love those legumes!

“Legumes” sounds like such a fancy word. Let’s clarify that we’re talking about beans, folks. Beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas, it’s all good… and good for you. Legumes are amazingly nutritious, high in protein and fiber, low in fat, and low in glycemic load.

Articles of Interest

5 reasons legumes should be a regular part of your diet

Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you … look good. And yet fewer than 8% of American adults eat legumes on any given day, despite the numerous health benefits from this hearty food.

A nutritionist shares the ‘underrated’ longevity food she eats every day to boost her immune system

Legumes: The most underrated longevity food...

Beans, Nuts And Seeds — Miracle Foods Or Menaces?

What we say is that yes, lectins can cause digestive or other ills. And yes you need to cook your beans before consuming them. But don't eliminate foods that are on the whole beneficial because they could be problematic under the wrong circumstances.

Benefits of pulses: Good for you and the planet

Pulses naturally produce their own nitrogen. They take nitrogen from air in soil and get the bacteria living in specialized pockets in their roots to “fix,” or trap, the nitrogen so that it stays in the soil in a form that is readily available for plants to use.

Do We Dare To Eat Lectins?

This is not the first time we have been warned away from fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and grains. Both low-carb and gluten-free diet advocacy foreswear whole grains, despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits they consistently confer on all but the constitutionally intolerant.

Health Benefits of Legumes

The benefits of legumes extend beyond their positive impact on human health. As crops, these nitrogen-fixing plants have been used for centuries to improve the quality of soil. They also adapt well to adverse environments, are highly resistant to disease and pests, and need less water than grains.

Legumes: Health Benefits and Culinary Approaches to Increase Intake

Many people are surprised to learn just how nutritious legumes are. They provide fiber, protein, carbohydrate, B vitamins, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and phosphorous. Legumes are naturally low in fat, are practically free of saturated fat, and because they are plant foods, they are cholesterol free as well.

Linus Pauling Institute

Although legumes are an important part of traditional diets around the world, they are often neglected in typical Western diets. Legumes are inexpensive, nutrient-dense sources of protein that can be substituted for dietary animal protein. While sources of animal protein are often rich in saturated fats, the small quantities of fats in legumes are mostly unsaturated fats.

Plant-based diet: Nuts, seeds, and legumes can help get you there

Nuts and seeds provide healthy mono- and polyunsaturated plant oils as well as protein. Legumes, which include beans, are filling and also contain lean protein. All of these foods are packed with vitamins and minerals. Eating more nuts, seeds, and legumes "is a good way to encourage a more plant-based diet that satisfies people in a healthy way," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The low down on legumes

Legumes however should not be avoided; they are a wonderful source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. They are also a source of prebiotics (food for our gut microbes) which can contribute to a healthy and happy microbiome (the trillions of bacteria living in our gut).

The Next Gluten

Tomatoes and ill-timed references to chemical warfare are, apparently, only a small part of the problem. The Plant Paradox urgently warns against eating wheat, beans, and peanuts, among other plants.

The Truth About Legumes

As I said before, there are pros and cons to eating legumes. One of the positives is that they're high in protein. This can be very beneficial, especially for vegetarians and vegans. They're also high in fiber, which everyone can benefit from. Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce the level of lectins found in legumes.

This little-loved food has big health benefits

Beans! Beans! They’re good for your heart. The more you eat, the more... healthy you are? Seems likely, according to the research. Beans are only one type of legume, though. Others include chickpeas, lentils, and peas. And they’re all good for you.

What Are Legumes & Are They Healthy?

Legumes are often seen as an essential protein for vegetarian and plant-based diets, but a growing body of scientific research suggests everyone can benefit from upping their legume intake... For one, beans contain a comparable amount of protein to meat—for example, one cup of black beans contains almost as much protein as three ounces of beef.

What Are Legumes Good For? Top 6 Benefits and More

Although legumes are loaded with health benefits, there are also some drawbacks to including them in your diet that should be considered. Legumes contain “antinutrients,” or compounds that can interfere with the absorption of important micronutrients like iron and calcium.

What’s Wrong with Beans and Legumes?

Unlike wheat, corn, and sugar, legumes aren’t generally associated with “junk food” or processed food products. It’s easy to conjure up hyperbolic images of Twinkies and Wonderbread to demonize wheat, but lentil soup and hummus just don’t have the same effect. Some legumes, like soy, are even widely considered to be health foods, and marketed as nutritionally superior alternatives to animal products. But that doesn’t make them optimal foods for human beings – just because you can’t find them at McDonald’s doesn’t make them healthy.

Why legumes deserve more of your love

Legumes are sometimes overlooked when it comes to super foods, but these unassuming pods are among the most versatile and nutritious foods available.

Why Women Need To Have Legumes in Their Diet?

While legumes are healthy for everyone, men and women have slightly different nutritional needs – and women especially can benefit from eating legumes. Here’s how...

Resources

5 Top reasons to love your legumes

The term ‘legumes’ encompasses all varieties of the legume plant family, including soy beans, with pulses referring specifically to the dried seeds of legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils. Whether you call them pulses or legumes, most of us just need to eat more of them.