Whether you’re throwing a handful of chickpeas onto a salad or bulking a casserole with a can of beans, you’ll be pleased to know that by adding legumes, beans or pulses, you’ll not only boost your meal with a good source of satiating plant-based protein, but you’ll also promote your gut health. Improving your gut health with pulses!
Legumes are a highly nutritious and versatile food group that includes beans (yes, baked beans too!), lentils, chickpeas, black beans, cannellini beans and red kidney beans. Crucially, they are a rich source of dietary fibre, specifically, the type of fibre that promotes a healthy gut environment.
Ensuring a healthy, fibre-rich diet packed with nutrients from a variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans and pulses can have a profound effect on your overall sense of wellbeing and your mood. Your gut health is fundamental to this, potentially lowering the risk of developing chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease as well as improving your mental health. Serotonin, your “feel-good” neurotransmitter that regulates your mood, is made in the gut (around 90%) when you digest your food. The interaction between your gut and brain can have a significant impact on how you feel mentally.
Furthermore, a healthy gut ensures that the food you eat is broken down efficiently so that your body can absorb and utilise the nutrients derived from your meal. An inefficient digestive process will result in the food lingering for too long in the gut, allowing it to fester and give off gases that lead to uncomfortable IBS symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps and reflux.
A healthy gut relies on a diverse microbiome; in other words, a good balance of “good” or beneficial bacteria vs “bad” bacteria. These beneficial bacteria feed on fibre and help to keep the “bad” bacteria at bay. Without an abundant food source, they’re not able to thrive, allowing the harmful bacteria to take hold. This unhealthy gut environment not only leads to IBS symptoms but can also impact your mental health negatively.
How can you include more legumes day-to-day?
- As a good source of plant-based protein, legumes are a great alternative to meat. For example, you can use lentils in place of mince or cannellini beans for a more structured choice.
- Legumes are ideal to blend into a dip or spread. For example, combining chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin makes a delicious hummus to eat with crudités or crispbreads.
- Cooked black beans or lentils are a great base for making homemade veggie burgers and meatballs.
- Add edamame or chickpeas to a salad or soup; this will add texture and make the meal heartier and more satiating, as well as more nutritious.
- Try black eyed beans or red kidney beans in a stew or casserole to boost your fibre intake.
When it comes to legumes, don’t forget,
- Most legumes are interchangeable, so don’t stick to one type. Vary the colours, shapes and sizes to keep your choices interesting and appealing.
- As you add more beans and pulses to your choices, also increase the amount of water you drink, to help your gut handle the increase in fibre. Exercise also helps improve your gut function.
Whilst the health benefits are well documented, it is worth pointing out that legumes do contain compounds called lectins, which can cause stomach upset and can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients like calcium, iron and zinc. However, this tends to be found in raw or undercooked beans, so ideally, opt for pre-cooked varieties in cans or pouches, which are already in a digestible form.
Otherwise, take care to ensure they are fully cooked if preparing from dried. Soaking overnight, replacing the soaking water several times will help to discard any harmful compounds before cooking. Whilst some people may be more susceptible to these effects, a 2020 review concluded that the benefits of eating legumes, as part of a healthy balanced diet, outweighed these potential effects.
For more tips on cooking and preparing legumes safely, check out the LegumeChef guidance article.
So, if you’re looking to start eating well, including a variety of protein rich legumes, beans and pulses is an easy way to ensure a well-balanced diet, alongside plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits and healthy fats.
Prepared by May Simpkin, MSc – Registered Nutritionist (MBANT), in partnership with LegumeChef.