Easy ways to increase your consumption of legumes!
Legumes are a key component of the Mediterranean Diet.
They are foods of high nutritional value, as they are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc. At the same time, they have a very low fat content.
Regular consumption of legumes has been associated with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and various forms of cancer.
The group of legumes includes lentils, beans, chickpeas, fava beans, broad beans and varieties of all of the above.
The recommendations state that we should consume at least 3 servings of legumes per week (1 serving = 1 cup of 240 ml cooked or 150-200 g. drained legumes).
For example, 1 deep dish of bean soup is 2 servings of legumes, 1 dish of chickpea rice is 1 serving of legumes and 1 salad with lentils, arugula, tomato is 1 serving of legumes.
For those who have difficulty meeting their needs for legumes due to taste preferences or digestive difficulties, the following instructions are particularly useful:
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Legumes can be consumed as a main meal but also as a side dish/appetizer or as a salad.
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You can combine legumes with cereals (e.g. lentil rice, chickpea rice, etc.). This combination makes the protein of high biological value.
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If you combine legumes with a source of vitamin C (fruits and vegetables) you increase the absorption of iron. For example, you can add lemon to chickpeas, fresh tomato to lentils, always accompany your meal with a salad and/or eat a fruit after your meal.
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For those who do not like lentil soup, they can eat them as a salad with tomato and spring onion. Most types of legumes (beans, chickpeas, etc.) can be added to various vegetable salads.
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For those who don’t like chickpeas, they can eat chickpeas as falafel or chickpea meatballs. Instead of chickpeas, you can try the recipe with black-eyed beans or broad beans.
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Various Mexican recipes with the addition of beans. For example, tacos combined with ground meat and/or rice.
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