How & Why Consume More Beans and Legumes?

Before I became vegan, I practically never ate beans & legumes. It is when I became a vegetarian that I slowly started to incorporate them into my diet. Today, I consume them almost every day, and they are now an integral part of my diet.

What are beans and legumes? They are plants mainly cultivated for their seeds. We usually talk about white, black or red beans and brown, coral or green lentils!

Why integrate them into our diet? Beans and legumes are a great source of fibre, carbohydrates, and protein. An excellent ally for any vegetable diet! In addition, they are rich in vitamins and minerals such as iron and magnesium. Also, their high fibre rate helps improve intestinal transit and regulate blood sugar levels.

Here are my 5 tips for integrating them into your diet

1. Buy canned beans and legumes!

Personally, I don’t have the patience to buy dry beans and legumes and soak them for an extended period of time. I buy them in cans, so I always have some ready to eat! Plus, canned beans and legumes are easier to digest due to the long steeping process.

2. Make dips!

There are so many dip recipes (like hummus and mashed white beans) to enhance beans and legumes. As these don’t taste a lot and have a floury texture, it is very easy to make delicious dips. Just bring a good food processor or blender, a few cups of beans or legumes of your choice, vegetable oil, spices and voila!

3. Incorporate recipes with beans and legumes!

When planning your weekly menu, find at least one recipe made with beans and legumes and incorporate it into your meals. This will allow you to discover a new recipe each week that could inspire you for other ideas! You can also replace half the protein in a recipe with beans or legumes. For example, instead of putting a block of tofu in your meal, put half a block and replace the rest with ½ cup of beans or legumes!

4. Add them to your salads!

As I said above, beans and legumes don’t taste so much, and they generally taste like the meal in which they are cook. Why not add a few chickpeas to your salad to get a serving of beans? It will also increase the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fibre! Little advice, you can find mixtures of canned beans and legumes, which are ideal for salads and offer great diversity.

5. Cook snacks!

Finally, several snack recipes contain legumes, so this is a great way to eat them without knowing it!

Here are some ideas!

• No-Bake Chocolate Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• Fudgy Brownies (Oil-Free)
• Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Soft Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hope these tips will help you to enjoy the benefits of consuming beans and legumes more often!

By Katia Bricka
Writer at RAW Nutritional