Your Diet and Legumes
Why eat legumes? Most people wonder what value legumes have in relation to a healthy diet.
First of all, in sorting this out, let us go through which foods belong in this category.
Beans are part of the legume family. They are high in fiber, and a great source of protein for the vegetarian diet. And did you realize how many vitamins are included in beans? Vitamins include Riboflavin, some B12 and also B6, Folate, Vitamin A, and not to mention Vitamin C. In fact, Vitamin C, is what beans are richest in. The bean family also includes your fatty acids, and some of the essential minerals for your body, some of the main ones being zinc, copper, potassium, and iron. So needless to say, the bean may serve a purpose for the iron-deficient anemic person.
Another main source of a legume type is lentils. Lentils provide you with your complex carbohydrates, which unlike simple carbohydrates, give you a slow rise in blood sugar. Like the bean family, lentils can also help a person with iron. Folic acid is another great property of the lentil, and it provides you with at least 85% percent or better of what is recommended on a daily basis. This is also another way for a vegetarian to receive protein in their diets. Lentils are also a fiber which you would refer to as being soluble. Soluble simply means that the fiber provides a cleansing treatment to a person’s digestive system. I must also mention that it can help a diabetic’s blood sugar levels since it works on the blood sugar and insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes.
Snow Peas are another part of the legume family. They are good steamed in the microwave on high for up to four minutes. They provide the nutrients to you of your Vitamin A, potassium, iron, and also Vitamin C. They are also high in manganese, which helps with connective tissue, the nerves in your body, and serves a purpose in your overall metabolism. Manganese is also known as an antioxidant that will help brain power. Manganese can also be helpful in the treatment of bone disorders such as osteoporosis.
So as you will realize from my brief overview of legumes, there are many health benefits to the daily consumption of foods from this group. To not eat from this family of foods, would probably mean missing greater health and longevity.