Benefits of legumes

Pulses are not only a gourmet product, but a fundamental product in our diet, as the consumption of chickpeas, lentils and other pulses are essential in a balanced diet. For this reason, nutritionists and the medical community recommend including them in the diet at least three or four times a week, in order to obtain all the benefits of pulses, which are so necessary nowadays.

Summary: Pulses are a highly nutritious food with many health benefits. A food that should be eaten frequently, as recommended by food specialists. Likewise, in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid you have a wide selection of legumes at your disposal.

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1. What are pulses?

Chickpeas and lentils are two species of the legume family, pulses. Together with cereal seeds, their seeds were the first to be cultivated by humans thousands of years ago with the emergence of agriculture. Chickpeas and lentils are cultivated and consumed all over the world for the quality of their vegetable protein. They are a product that is returning to its rightful position as a gourmet product.

Chickpeas and lentils contain:

• quality vegetable protein
• complex carbohydrates
• fibre
• unsaturated fatty acids: linoleic fatty acid and oleic fatty acid
• antioxidants
• vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, folic acid and vitamin A precursor β-carotene
• simple sugars such as: glucose and sucrose, minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium
• sterols: ß-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol.

Chickpeas also contain anti-nutritional factors, phytate and α-galactosides. These can be eliminated or reduced with different cooking techniques.

2. Types of pulses

Legumes are the seeds contained in the plants of the leguminous family. In all of them, their seeds develop in the gynoecium of a single carpel.

Among the most common legumes in human food, we find:

• Peanut: The peanut is a legume that is consumed toasted and is consumed as a nut. It usually accompanies desserts such as nougat or honey.
• Chickpeas. It is a fundamental legume in the Mediterranean diet with which many dishes are prepared
• Peas: This is another typical legume of the Mediterranean diet that is usually eaten fresh or frozen.
• Broad beans: Another typical legume of the Mediterranean diet that is usually eaten fresh, frozen or preserved.
• Lentils: another typical legume of the Mediterranean diet.
• Beans: among them would be beans, beans and beans. Beans and beans are legumes, the bean is typical of the Mediterranean diet and beans from Central America.
• Soya: Soya is fundamental for the feeding of livestock. Although it also has different functionalities as a food supplement, such as soy milk

3. Health benefits of legumes

According to scientific literature chickpeas and lentils help to prevent the following diseases:

a) Cardiovascular diseases:

Numerous studies carried out on different continents have shown that eating at least four servings of legumes a week reduces the risk of heart attack by 14%.

According to scientific literature, the fibre of legumes can absorb cholesterol from food, dragging it and excreting it along with the rest of the undigested food. Also, polyphenolic compounds found in legumes, tannins, inhibit the absorption of cholesterol by the body.

b) Diabetes:

The phytates in legumes can lower the glycemic index, i.e. the release of sugar in the blood, and therefore could help prevent diabetes and influence the prevention of insulin resistance.

c) Intestinal transit:

Legumes are rich in insoluble fibers and contain resistant starch of slow hydrolysis, favoring intestinal transit and reducing constipation.

On the other hand, α-galactósidos, a component of legumes has a prebiotic effect on the flora of the intestine.

d) Weight control:

The fiber of the legumes when digested slowly creates a feeling of satiety. This feeling of satiety causes us to take longer to eat other foods. In addition, the chickpeas, as they contain iron, favour oxygenation of the body and an increase in metabolism, favouring weight loss.

f) Cancer:

Different compounds of legumes are related to them by their antitumor effects. Trypsin and chymotrypsin have an antioxidant action and a stimulant of the T lymphocytes, the tannins, also have an antioxidant effect, all of them reducing cellular stress and the possibilities of appearance of cancer cells.

Other components of legumes, such as phytoestrogens, similar to female sex hormones, estrogens, reduce the appearance of breast and prostate cancer, and saponins are attributed anti-cancer properties, defending against colon and intestinal cancer. In addition, insoluble fiber and its slow hydrolysis starch can prevent rectal colon cancer.

h) Source of iron:

Legumes contain iron, and iron is best assimilated when eaten with foods rich in vitamin C. Therefore, it is advisable to pour a squirt of lemon to the lentils before taking them. It is also recommended not to drink tea or coffee with legumes, because these foods reduce absorption by the body.

4. How to cook

Legumes, as it has been written at the beginning, contain anti-nutritional components such as α-galactoids and phytates that cannot be digested by our organism and cause flatulence. Therefore, once these compounds reach the intestine, as they are not absorbed, the intestinal bacteria ferment them releasing methane and carbon dioxide.

In order to eliminate or reduce these anti-nutritional components, it is recommended to soak legumes in water about 6 hours before cooking. If the water is enriched with bicarbonate, the elimination of the anti-nutritional components will be more effective.

Photo 1: Chickpea of Fuentesauco

5. Is it good to eat legumes every day?

Legumes are a rich source of the amino acid lysine, but have a low content of sulfur amino acids. However, cereals and potatoes are low in lysine and high in sulphur amino acids. For this reason, if the consumption of legumes is complemented with cereals or potatoes, we provide ourselves with high quality proteins in our balanced diet, as indicated by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (Senc).

Answering the question of whether we should eat legumes every day, the answer is yes. However, most people have displaced legumes by carbohydrates and what nutritionists recommend is to consume them three or four times a day. Consuming them every day can be a little tiring.

The consumption of legumes should be done throughout the year, and not only in winter, as they are more appealing because of the cold.

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