Two favourite ways to easily eat more healthy legumes
“Legumes are a great way to stabilise blood sugar”
Legumes have health benefits
Once upon a time, legumes had an important place in our diet. They were an important and inexpensive source of protein and fibre. Unfortunately, as household incomes grew, the consumption of legumes fell. The role of legumes in a healthy diet is well documented. Their high fibre content helps us to stabilise our blood sugar and maintain a stable weight. Legumes are also beneficial for our vascular system as they help to lower cholesterol and contain magnesium and potassium, which lower blood pressure. In addition, they contain iron, which helps us to keep our iron levels up and therefore feel less tired and listless. In a vegetarian or vegan diet, legumes are very important as they contain plenty of iron and protein. By eating legumes, you’re also helping to give your good gut bacteria a healthy environment in which to thrive. The insoluble fibre in legumes cannot be broken down before it reaches the large intestine, where it becomes nutrients for the good bacteria and helps to ensure a good gut environment, which modern research has shown plays an important role in our health.
“Legumes include peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts. Nutritionally, they’re worth their weight in gold. They’re also cheap and climate-friendly.”
Find your favourite
Many people find it a little difficult to include legumes in their diet and don’t find them to be the tastiest things around. I’ve tried a few different things myself now and have changed my mind completely about things I was once a little hesitant about. Now I have a couple of favourite legume dishes. It’s a nice feeling to know that legumes are also a climate-friendly alternative and that I’m doing my bit to help the planet. A good approach to start enjoying legumes is to find a couple of favourites and get used to enjoying them regularly. My goal was to find two dishes that the whole family enjoyed. By trying out recipes that were both simple and looked appetizing, I’ve managed to put together a little collection with everything from an Indian lentil stew, vegetarian bolognese, lentil stew with coconut milk, and bean stew. These stews have become real comfort food, especially during the autumn and winter, and even the kids enjoy them.
Simple and long-lasting
A handy way to regularly eat more legumes is to have a side dish that will last for a couple of days. I have two favourites that can easily be used in different contexts. One is a simple and tasty creamy hummus that can be eaten with most things and that my kids really enjoy after a late exercise session. The other is a delicious bean salad that contains both lemon and red onion for a rich taste. It has taken me a little while to get used to it, but this bean salad is so tasty and wonderfully fresh. Both recipes keep for around four days in the fridge, making it super easy to add a couple of spoons to your lunch or dinner or to enjoy as a snack. What’s more, they don’t take long to make, so you can make them on a Sunday and keep them for almost the whole week.
I think it’s best to boil your own chickpeas after leaving them to soak the night before, but pre-boiled work fine as well. Red lentils are tastiest when you cook them yourself. I prefer to buy beans like white beans, red beans, and black beans in cans that are ready to be used.
Tasty creamy hummus
Ingredients:
Chickpeas, cooked at home or canned, 800 g
Light tahini, about 100 ml
Cumin, 1 tsp
Juice from one organic lemon
Olive oil, 4 tbsp
Salt, half a tsp
Garlic (optional), 1 clove
Water from the chickpeas that has been left to stand overnight or plain water
Method:
Put the chickpeas, tahini, cumin, half of the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, and a little of the water in a mixer. Mix until it has a smooth and creamy consistency.
Dilute with water to the right consistency and add more cumin, lemon juice, or salt to taste.
Serve with a little olive oil. Can be stored for around five days in the fridge.
Lina’s bean salad with parsley and red onion
Ingredients:
White beans, 400 g
Black beans, 400 g
Half a red onion, finely chopped
One bunch of finely chopped parsley leaves
One lemon, finely grated peel and juice
Salt, half a tsp
Rapeseed oil, 75 ml
Method:
Rinse the beans and let them drain.
Mix the red onion, parsley leaves, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, and rapeseed oil. Mix well with the beans.
Store in a tightly closed glass jar in the fridge.
Bean recipe from: “Middag hela veckan – Linas mat” by Lina Gebäck.
My advice:
Find a couple of side dishes with some legumes that you enjoy and that have a long shelf-life in the fridge. You can then just regularly add one of these to any of the day’s meals. These sorts of side dishes are a quick and easy way to eat legumes.
