Legumes are one of the most nutrient-packed foods you can eat. Photo / 123rf
Protein-rich and full of gut-friendly fibre, the humble staple has shed its bland image. Here are the most delicious ways to eat them.
Beans are no longer the preserve of vegetarians and the salad-obsessed who seem to run on lettuce leaves alone – and for good reason: a standard tin of black beans contains as much protein as three eggs and twice the fibre in prunes.
Nutritionist Sophie Trotman ranks legumes as one of the most nutrient-packed foods you can eat. Aside from fibre and protein, beans are packed with micronutrients such as potassium, folate, iron, zinc and magnesium, and they are also easy to incorporate into your everyday diet regardless of what you like to eat.
“Adding a can of beans to a stir-fry, soup, stew or salad is by far the easiest way to make the meals you love more nutritious,” Trotman says.
Trotman has picked and ranked the best beans for your health. See the recipes below to help you make them delicious at home.
The most nutritious
Pinto beans, a staple in chilli dishes and other Tex-Mex meals, are super-nutritious.
“Pinto beans are a rich source of calcium, which is great for our bones, teeth and even for helping us sleep – something that most people forget,” says Trotman.
Magnesium, “which is key for nerve and muscle function, mood regulation and sleep too”, can also be found in abundance in this bean. On top of this, pinto beans are a source of “non-heme” iron, found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and wholegrains.
Surveys of people in the UK show many of us struggle to eat enough iron, women especially, “so getting more of it into our diets is crucial”, says Trotman.
Eating large amounts of red meat, the biggest source of iron in most people’s diets, has also been linked to cancer, diabetes and risk of heart disease, so adding pinto beans to your diet is a great way to up your iron intake without consuming more lamb, beef and pork.
Just be sure to eat pinto beans “with some broccoli or a squeeze of lemon”, Trotman says. “Non-heme iron is less easily absorbed by your body, and the best way to increase the iron you can absorb from plant foods is to pair them with a source of vitamin C.”
The best for dieters and gym-goers
When losing weight, it’s crucial to cram as much fibre and protein into your diet as possible, “otherwise you’ll find yourself feeling tired and hungry all the time”, Trotman says, which will massively derail your fitness goals.
This makes edamame the bean for those who want to lose weight, with 8g of protein and more than 5g of fibre to just 100 calories in as many grams. These beans are the most high-protein legume now readily available in supermarkets, meaning they’re a great snack for people looking to put on muscle, too.
Edamame beans are eaten as a snack with salt or spices in much of East Asia and have made their way into our diets in Britain as a side dish for sushi or a key ingredient in salads and stir-fries.
“Edamame are much higher in protein than other beans, while still being very high in magnesium, and a good source of folate and calcium,” Trotman says. “They also contain phytoestrogens, which research suggests can be helpful for hormonal balance in women.”
While not as fibrous as some other varieties of bean, edamame beans still have around 5g of fibre per 100g serving, a sixth of your guideline daily fibre intake – so these beans can keep you feeling full and energised well after lunchtime.
Edamame can be bought fresh, frozen or tinned. Trotman suggests “keeping a bag in the freezer and chucking them into stir-fries and salads as you like”.
The best for gut health
Black beans are a gut health superhero: with almost 7g of fibre per 100g (nearly a quarter of your daily recommended intake) and dark skins packed with anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant, they are the best bean to eat to keep your gut happy, Trotman says.
Much of the fibre in black beans is made up of resistant starch, which isn’t broken down by the small intestine and therefore better feeds your gut bacteria. Research also shows that resistant starch can improve the body’s tolerance to sugar, while making us feel more full after meals, helping to avoid post-dinner snacking.
“They’re also the bean that’s highest in magnesium, aside from edamame,” says Trotman, packing in more iron than pinto beans, too. Those anthocyanins also make black beans good for your heart, and by taking care of your gut, they’ll reduce inflammation across the rest of your body too.
The most versatile
Trotman’s favourite bean is the chickpea – “I probably eat them two or three times a week,” she says. “Chickpeas have quite a neutral taste, unlike smoky black beans or nutty pinto beans, so they’re easy to add into meals or use instead of heavier carbs like pasta or rice,” she explains.
Chickpeas (and kidney beans) are much higher in carbohydrates than other kinds of bean, and higher in calories per 100g. But along with their high fibre content, this makes them even more filling than other kinds of bean – and with high levels of calcium, magnesium and zinc, chickpeas promise to “support your immune system and keep your skin healthy”, Trotman says.
What’s more, these beans have “a soft, creamy texture, which makes them great for people who are trying to eat more legumes when they’re not so used to including them in their diet”, says Trotman. From Mediterranean salads to Indian curries and Moroccan tagines, there is hardly a cuisine that couldn’t benefit from an extra can of chickpeas.
Broad beans
Broad beans, or fava beans, are low in calories yet “high in magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium”, says Trotman. With 8.8g of carbohydrates and 4.7g of protein per 100g serving, these beans are substantial enough to throw a salad around and will keep you full throughout the day.
Cannellini beans
Similar to broad beans with added fibre, these neutral-tasting, low-calorie beans are a great base for soups and dips. They’re high in folate and iron, too. “When it comes to your health, these are very similar to broad beans, so pick the one you like the most,” Trotman says.
Butter beans
Butter beans are “less nutritionally dense” than other kinds of beans on the market, Trotman says, but a 100g serving of them will still provide you with more than 7g of both fibre and protein. “It’s important to find a bean you enjoy too,” Trotman says. “A lot of people like these beans as part of Spanish dishes or a hearty stew, where they’ll still do you a lot of good.”
Kidney beans
Kidney beans are packed with isoflavones and anthocyanins, both kinds of antioxidants shown to help prevent diabetes, cancer and heart disease. “They’re also the bean that’s highest in iron,” says Trotman.
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