From the Guidelines
Legumes are a diverse group of plants that include beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, soybeans, and edamame, among others, and are a crucial part of a healthy diet due to their high nutritional value and low environmental impact. The most recent and highest quality study, 1, highlights the importance of legumes in a healthy eating pattern, emphasizing their richness in protein, dietary fiber, iron, zinc, potassium, and folate, while being low in saturated fat and having a low glycemic index. Some key examples of legumes include:
- Beans (such as black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and navy beans)
- Lentils (red, green, brown, and black varieties)
- Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
- Peas (including green peas, split peas, and snow peas)
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Edamame Other less common but still important legumes are fava beans, lima beans, mung beans, adzuki beans, and black-eyed peas, as noted in 1. Legumes are not only nutritionally valuable but also have a unique ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, making them environmentally beneficial crops, and can be prepared in numerous ways, including boiling, baking, roasting, or grinding into flour, as discussed in 1 and 1. In terms of dietary recommendations, the American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention, 1, suggests following a healthy eating pattern that includes a variety of vegetables, such as dark green, red and orange, fiber-rich legumes, and whole grains, while limiting red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods. Overall, incorporating legumes into one's diet can have numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, as well as improving overall nutritional intake and environmental sustainability, as supported by 1, 1, and 1.
From the Research
Examples of Legumes
- Beans 2, 3, 4
- Peas 2, 3, 4
- Chickpeas 2, 3, 5
- Lentils 2, 3, 5
- Alfalfa 3
- Clover 3
- Lupins 3
- Green beans 3
- Peanuts 3
- Soybeans 3
- Broad beans 3
- Dry peas 3