Most people don’t get enough fibre - this simple advice can help

Legume pasta is a great way to boost your fibre and protein intake. Photo / Tom McCorkle, The Washington Post

Eating legume pastas such as edamame can boost your intake of both fibre and protein.

Here’s a simple way to boost your fibre and protein intake: Eat legume pastas.

Found in many grocery stores, legume pastas are made from black beans, chickpeas, red lentils, lupine beans, fava beans and edamame – a type of soybean typically served in sushi restaurants.

Edamame pasta is a standout in the world of legume pastas. A two-ounce serving of edamame spaghetti contains around 12g of dietary fibre – roughly the same amount in two cups of cooked broccoli.

Fibre is a particularly critical nutrient, one that most adults don’t get nearly enough of. Studies show that eating fibre nourishes your gut microbiome and lowers your risk of developing cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Health authorities recommend that adults eat at least 28g of fibre a day. Yet the average person in the United States eats far less than that – just 16g of fibre daily.

Edamame pasta is also high in protein: a serving of edamame spaghetti has about 24g of protein – equivalent to the amount of protein in about four eggs. Edamame spaghetti is gluten-free and rich in iron, potassium and calcium, too.

Danielle Belardo, a preventive cardiologist and nutrition expert in Los Angeles, said she eats edamame spaghetti and other legume-based pastas three to four times a week. Belardo, a vegan, said legume pastas provide “an excellent combination of high fibre and high protein in one convenient, whole-food package”.

Belardo said she recommends legume pastas to her patients because the pastas are convenient, filling, and can improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

But cooking with legume pastas – and making them taste good – isn’t the same as cooking with traditional varieties. To help you make the most out of legume pastas, we analysed their nutritional benefits and experimented with several recipes for edamame pasta in the kitchen. Here’s what we learned.

Legume pastas vs traditional pastas

Many legume pastas contain just one ingredient: dried beans or lentils that are ground into flour and combined with water to make dough, which is then shaped into spaghetti, penne, rotini and other types of pasta. Because legumes are high in protein and fibre, so too is legume pasta.

Traditional dried pasta is made from wheat kernels that have had their outer and innermost layers removed, a process called refining. That’s important because these parts of the wheat contain most of its fibre and vitamins. The part that’s left behind and used to make the pasta is the starchy endosperm, which is why traditional pasta is low in fibre and full of fast-digesting carbs.

Legume pasta tastes earthier and nuttier than conventional pasta. Photo / Tom McCorkle, The Washington Post

Some pastas are made from whole wheat, meaning they’re made from the whole grain. Whole wheat pasta contains more fibre and other nutrients than traditional white pasta. But legume pastas typically contain more protein and fibre than whole wheat pasta.

In terms of flavour, legume pastas taste earthier and nuttier than conventional pasta, making them reminiscent of whole wheat noodles. Texture-wise, they’re bouncier and seem akin to soba noodles, making them particularly well-suited to Asian flavours.

The health benefits of legume pastas

- Fibre: Legume pastas made from edamame, black beans, lupine beans and red lentils are especially high in fibre. Scientists think there are a number of reasons fibre has been linked to better health outcomes. Fibre promotes the growth of healthy microbes in your gut and prompts them to produce compounds like short chain fatty acids, which lower inflammation. These microbes also stimulate the release of GLP-1, a hormone that promotes satiety and helps to lower blood sugar levels. This is the same hormone that drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are designed to mimic.

- Low glycemic: Because legume pastas are high in fibre and relatively low in carbs, they have a lower glycemic impact than regular pasta. That means they’re digested more slowly and are less likely to spike your blood sugar levels. That can translate to metabolic health benefits. Studies have found that eating low-glycemic foods can improve blood sugar control and help people lose weight and body fat. Some studies suggest that it can also reduce blood pressure and inflammation.

- Plant protein: Belardo especially likes that legume pastas are rich in plant protein. In one study published in the journal BMJ, scientists analysed data on over 715,000 people who were followed for up to 32 years. They found that people who consumed a lot of plant protein were 8% less likely to die during the study period compared with people who ate very little plant protein. They also had a 12% lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.

How to cook edamame pasta

So how can you make a delicious edamame pasta dish? To find out, we experimented with several approaches to the sauce, with the goal of finding something punchy enough to stand up to the spaghetti – or perhaps even overpower it to satisfy anyone who might find the pasta to be an acquired taste.

Ultimately, we found a winner in a vibrant sauce made with whole peas, feta and pistachios. The dish clocks in at 22g of fibre (more than three-quarters of a day’s worth) and 39g of protein – and goes down easily.

Tips for cooking with edamame and other legume pastas

If you’re new to legume pastas, then start off slow. Start with a 2-ounce serving of legume pasta once a week. If you want to eat it more often, then gradually increase the amount to two or more servings per week over the ensuing weeks. Experts say that for some people, suddenly increasing the amount of fibre in your diet – from legume pastas or any other fibre-rich foods – could lead to some initial gastrointestinal discomfort. But over time that should go away as your body adjusts.

Be sure to follow the package instructions for cooking. One brand of edamame spaghetti, for instance, calls for you to boil it for just five or six minutes, while another suggests adding it to boiling water, turning off the heat and letting the pasta gently soak until tender.

Remember the sauce adds fibre, too. In our experiments in the kitchen, adding ingredients such as artichoke hearts, navy beans and mustard greens tasted good. But the fibre overload was simply too much and felt heavy going down.

Pick the legume pasta that tastes best to you. Some have different flavours and textures than others, so you should try a few and see which ones you like. A good starting point for most people is chickpea or lentil pasta, since their textures tend to be the most similar to traditional wheat pasta, Belardo said.

Pair the pasta with punchy flavours. Garlicky, lemony and maybe spicy flavours can stand up to the pasta’s earthy taste. Belardo said she likes eating red lentil pasta with arugula pesto, walnuts and chia seeds. She also likes edamame spaghetti tossed with lemon tahini sauce and roasted vegetables, and black bean spaghetti with sautéed mushrooms and tomato sauce. Another smart option would be to employ a spicy peanut sauce with the edamame spaghetti.