The Truth About Protein - Legumes

Beans, lentils and peas are a staple food in Mexican cuisine, but forbidden on the very popular Paleo diet. Are they affordable protein sources – or digestive problems waiting to happen?

Preparation Is Everything

Fans of the Paleo diet are right for one thing: if they are not prepared the right way, legumes contain natural toxisn (lectins and phytates) that may cause digestive problems. If you want to include legumes in your fat burning diet – to get the most out of their high fiber, potassium and magnesium content – it is critical that you prepare them the right way.


Soak, boil & avoid Embarrassment

Preparing legumes is really not as hard or time consuming as you think. Follow these 4 simple steps and you’ll end up multiplying the nutrient content of your legumes while avoiding all the undesirable side effects:

1.Put dried legumes in a large bowl (2/3 cup dried will give you the equivalent of 1 can), and cover with 3 cups of water for every cup of legumes.

2.Soak at room temperature overnight, covering the bowl with a cheesecloth. For a faster soak, try boiling the beans in the water for two minutes, then letting them stand for one hour.

3.Strain the legumes with a colander, discarding the soaking water. Rinse them thoroughly to get rid of the hard-to-digest compounds.

4.Boil until legumes can be mashed with a fork. See the reference chart for cooking times.

                                                                      Cooking Time
Baby Lima Beans .............................................................1h
Black Beans ..........................................................1 to 1.5h
Black Eye Peas ...............................................30 min to 1h
Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) ..............1 to 1.5h
Cranberry Beans .............................................45 min to 1h
Great Northern Beans ....................................45 min to 1h
Kidney Beans (light or dark) .................................1.5 to 2h
Large Lima Beans (also called butter beans) .......1 to 1.5h
Nay Beans ............................................................1.5 to 2h
Pink Beans .......................................................................1h
Pinto Beans ..........................................................1.5 to 2h
Small Red Beans ..................................................1 to 1.5h
Brown Lentils .................................................25 to 30 min
Green Lentils ..................................................30 to 40 min
Red Lentils......................................................25 to 30 min
Yellow Lentils .................................................25 to 30 min

Canned Legumes May be handy,But…

… Cost you 3X more than if you would have prepared your legumes from scratch.

… They are not soaked, which means they are very hard to digest. 

… Contain BPA (unless stated otherwise) – a chemical linked with obesity…

… Contain roughly 30 to 50% less vitamins and minerals than prepared legumes.

… Are packed with useless refined sodium – which can cause short-term water retention and weight gain.

… Did I forget to mention bloating and your belly inflating like a balloon?

Raw Beans Danger

Many raw beans contain phytohemagglutinin – a dangerous natural toxin that can make you ill within 3 hours of consumption. To make sure this doesn’t happen, make sure you never consume raw beans and that you always boil them for at least 20 minutes (simmering is not enough to get rid of the toxin).

What About Green Beans And Peas?

Fresh green beans and peas are technically legumes, but they contain very little of the problematic compounds in dried legumes. Most people can consume raw or steamed green beans and peas without experiencing any digestive distress.

------ Notes:

--> Some people argue that soaking lentils is useless. My personal experience shows me otherwise. Always soak them if you want to maximize digestibility and nutrition

--> Boiling legumes with one of these herbs and spices will improve digestibility: anise seed, basil, bay leaf, cardamom, clove, cinnamon bark, coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, fenugreek see, garlic, ginger root, mint, star anise and turmeric

--> Do not simmer your legumes. Bring them to a hard boil to make sure you get rid of most of the problematic compounds

Summary

• Legumes are a very cheap source of protein and fiber. They are very filling and will keep your appetite in control.

• Canned legumes show way less benefits than prepared dried legumes, and are harder to digest.

• Preparing legumes to increase their nutritional content and remove all the digestive distress and bloating that they may cause is easy and simply requires a little bit of extra planning.

• Green beans and peas do not cause digestive distress and can be consumed raw or cooked.