Packed with nutrients and kind on your wallet, beans, peas and lentils might be the most underrated foods on your plate. Photo / 123RF
For many people who struggle to eat a healthy diet, the biggest barrier is often cost: nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood tend to be a lot more expensive than ultra-processed foods.
But that’s not always the case. Some of the most nutritious foods on earth are also among the most affordable: beans, peas and lentils, collectively known as pulses.
Pulses are high in protein and fibre. They promote gut health, help with weight loss, and improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Studies have also found that beans, peas and lentils have a low carbon footprint.
Health authorities recommend that adults eat one to three cups of beans, peas or lentils each week, depending on your calorie needs. Yet most Americans fall short of that goal, consuming on average just a half cup of beans each week, said Christopher Gardner, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Centre.
“That’s an insanely small amount, given that beans, peas and lentils are such a powerhouse of protein and fibre and other nutrients,” he added.
Gardner was part of a US Government committee of nutrition experts that issued a report in December that said that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should emphasise beans, peas and lentils as a healthy source of protein and a good substitute for red and processed meat.
He said adults should aim to eat at least a half cup of beans, peas or lentils per day – rather than per week.
“We should be doubling and tripling our bean intake – we should be eating them every day,” Gardner said. “Nutrient-wise they have all of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff – and they tend to be a lot less expensive than other foods. There are few foods that cost as little as beans, peas and lentils.”
Pulses are the dried edible seeds found in the pods of a group of plants called legumes, which are among the oldest cultivated crops on earth. Across the globe, nearly every culture includes some type of pulse or legume in their traditional cuisine.
That may be in part because of their nutrient density. Pulses typically have several times more protein and fibre than brown rice, corn, wheat and other grains. A single cup of cooked lentils, for example, has 18g of protein, the amount in three large eggs. Yet unlike animal foods, they’re naturally free of cholesterol and low in saturated fat.
All pulses are high in fibre and rich in nutrients such as iron, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. A cup of cooked lentils has 16g of fibre – more than half the recommended daily amount of fibre that the average adult needs.
In 2020, a systematic review of randomised controlled trials found adults who were assigned to eat an average of about a half-cup of cooked beans, peas or lentils daily had striking improvements in their cardiovascular, gut and metabolic health. They lost weight, shrank their waistlines and lowered their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. They also had reductions in inflammation and positive changes in their gut microbiomes.
The researchers speculated that the health benefits were in large part a result of the ample amounts of fibre in pulses. Beans, peas and lentils contain a special type of fibre called resistant starch, which gets its name because it resists digestion in the small intestine. Resistant starch travels down to the large intestine, where it’s metabolised by gut bacteria that convert it into health-promoting compounds such as short-chain fatty acids.
The authors of the review also looked into potential downsides. Although beans have a reputation for causing flatulence, the researchers found that cases of gastrointestinal discomfort were fairly rare and not severe. “None of the participants withdrew from the studies because of these symptoms,” the researchers noted.
If you are concerned about gastrointestinal issues, though, one of the best things you can do is to gradually increase the amount of beans, peas and lentils in your diet. This will give your body time to adjust to the increase in fibre and as your tolerance rises, any initial increase in flatulence should dissipate, said Chris Damman, a gastroenterologist at the Digestive Health Centre at the University of Washington Medical Centre and the author of Gut Bites MD, a blog on gut health and nutrition.
“The mantra is to go low and go slow,” he added.
Damman said that when people ask him what they should eat to improve their health, he recommends beans, peas and lentils “above all other foods”, for both their nutrient content and their low cost.
“They’re a superfood,” he said. “They’re healthy, but they’re also affordable – and that’s really important right now with inflation and today’s economy.”
Studies have found that pulses are among the lowest-cost sources of protein, with their average prices significantly below that of chicken, beef, pork, turkey, seafood, nuts, seeds and lamb. They’re also less expensive than eggs.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, a pound (0.45kg) of dried beans on average costs about US$1.70 ($2.80), compared with about US$6 for a pound of ground beef, roughly US$4.20 for a pound of chicken breast and at least US$4.60 for a dozen large eggs.
Researchers have found beans, peas and lentils are among the most affordable nutrient-rich foods worldwide. And they have a lower environmental footprint than other protein-rich foods. Growing pulses uses less water and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared with meat production. It also improves soil quality, which reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.
One of the simplest ways to include more pulses in your diet is to add them to your favourite meals.
“You don’t have to change very much if you’re just adding them to the foods that you’re already eating,” said Jill Weisenberger, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, Second Edition.
Eating eggs for breakfast? Pair them with black beans, alone or in breakfast burritos.
If you’re having a sandwich for lunch, add some chickpeas by spreading hummus on your bread instead of mayonnaise.
If you’re having chicken salad, open a can of white beans and mix some in. “Soft white cannellini beans are really good with tuna or chicken salad,” Weisenberger said. Just make sure to rinse the beans first, which helps to remove sodium, she added.
If you’re making a salad, open a can of cooked beans, peas or lentils and toss a couple of spoonfuls in.
If you’re having pasta with tomato sauce for dinner, open a can of kidney beans and mix some in. The taste and texture of the kidney beans will complement the sauce, Weisenberger said.
Making chilli, soup or stew for a big family dinner? Smash some white beans, and add them to the pot. The smashed beans will thicken up your stew, soup or chilli, and no one will even realise they’re in there, Weisenberger said.
Anytime you’re making a recipe with minced beef, replace some of the beef with cooked brown lentils to stretch the meat and add some fibre and extra nutrients. Brown lentils have a mild flavour, and they resemble the appearance and texture of cooked minced beef. Try adding the cooked lentils in a 2-to-1 ratio with the minced beef (2 cups of cooked lentils for each pound of cooked minced beef). You can do this to make burgers, Bolognese, taco meat and even sloppy joes.
With so many varieties of beans, peas and lentils, there are endless ways to consume them. You can use hummus as a dip for chips and veges or snack on roasted chickpeas instead of potato chips. (You can roast them at home on a baking sheet, or buy them online or at your grocery store.)
If you’re making food at home, there is almost always a way to add beans, peas or lentils to your meal, Weisenberger said.
“You can eat them with Mexican flavours, Italian flavours, Asian flavours,” she added. “One of the best things about them is that they’re so versatile. I think that’s something a lot of people forget.”