Health Benefits of Legumes (Beans and Lentils)

Packed with Protein, Calcium, Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants

Legumes (beans and lentils) are packed with nutrition, including protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals, and are very cheap. When cooked right, they are so delicious that even the most hardened carnivores will be amazed. A recipe is included.

Why should we eat legumes?
Legumes, when eaten in place of refined carbohydrates, can actually...

1. Prevent food cravings¹
2. Prevent metabolic syndrome (source: see link below, right)
3. Prevent type 2 diabetes (source: see link below, right)
4. Protect against cancer^2,3
5. Provide lots of protein and energy⁴
6. Provide lots of calcium⁵
7. Provide lots of vitamins and minerals⁶
8. Prevent obesiity⁷
9. Protect against heart disease⁸

How can inexpensive legumes do all that?
Let's examine each one of the amazing points above, made possible by legumes, one of the cheapest sources of protein, calcium, and numerous vitamins and minerals.

1. How do legumes prevent food cravings? Legumes (beans and lentils) prevent food cravings by providing energy and nutrients without causing the pancreas to flood the body with insulin¹. Foods that are high on the glycemic index⁹, such as high fructose corn syrup, sugar, refined or enriched flour, white rice, and other refined carbohydrates⁹, cause the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin, and within 1 to 2 hours (varies per person), this flood of insulin is then followed by an acute drop in blood sugar, causing food cravings, especially for refined starches that quickly satisfy a low-blood-sugar craving⁹. This is a cycle that is difficult to break free from.