Eat Legumes for Longevity

Legumes have long been associated with longevity food cultures. For example, the Japanese eat soy, tofu, natto and miso, the Swedes eat brown beans and peas, Costa Ricans eat black beans, and Mediterraneans eat lentils, chickpeas and white beans.

Legumes are also cheap and versatile, and come in a variety of textures, so there’s bound to be an option for you.

Read on to find out more about the health benefits of legumes and their low FODMAP serving sizes.

Want to live to 100? Eat legumes

An international study published in 2004 study confirmed the longevity effects of legumes.

The researchers looked at the diet and longevity of elderly people across 5 different populations (Japanese in Japan, Swedes in Sweden, Anglo-Celtics in Australia, Greeks in Australia and Greece). The researchers found that across all groups there was a reduction in risk of death by up to 8% for every 20 g increase in legumes eaten.

What are legumes?

 Legumes are all part of the Fabaceae family of plants that have seed bearing pods. The seeds inside are often dried and called pulses.

And why are they so beneficial?

Legumes are good sources of plant protein, they are around 21% protein, plus they provide minerals, B vitamins and fibre. They also contain complex carbohydrates (the type of carbohydrates that doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes) and are very low in fat.

The fibre in legumes is fabulous food for the good gut bacteria in our microbiome as well as helping to slow absorption of sugar into the blood.

In addition, legumes are filling and if they are included regularly in the diet are likely to displace other less nutritious foods. For example, getting your protein from legumes a couple of days a week, will likely reduce your red meat intake and its associated saturated fat.

Fermentation, Fibre and FODMAPs

Ok, so a quick note of caution for those of you that have IBS or a sensitive tummy. Legumes commonly contain galacto-oligosaccharides and fructans. Fermentation of these FODMAPs and the fibre found in legumes can cause painful build-up of gas in the gut.

Stick to eating canned beans, chickpeas and lentils that have been drained and rinsed thoroughly. The removes a lot of the problematic FODMAPs.

We also recommend building up serving sizes slowly, so that you have time to adapt to the increase in fibre.

Legumes contain both insoluble and soluble fibre, but are especially rich in soluble fibre that feeds your good gut bacteria. They are great for getting things moving if you have constipation. That’s why legumes feature in our Best Ever Poop Program.

If you have diarrhoea, silken tofu with little insoluble fibre is a good choice.

Beans

All beans are packed with protein and fibre.

One of the most commonly consumed beans is kidney beans. It is rich in fibre, folate and minerals like copper and iron. A small study has shown that including kidney beans in a meal can help to lower blood pressure after the meal. More research is needed in this space to see if the results can be repeated in a bigger study.

Try this recipe to enjoy kidney beans

Fresh legumes

We are giving a special mention to green beans, one of the few legumes we generally eat fresh, rather than as pulses that have been dried and then re-hydrated.

Whilst peas have a relatively small low FODMAP serving size (1 tbsp), up to 15 green beans are low in FODMAPs. Green beans are rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, an antioxidant. They can help fight inflammation and are also a good source of folate and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Like other beans, green beans also are a good source of protein and fibre, which can help lower cholesterol.  We included green beans in our latest curry recipe and this Autumnal stir-fry.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a staple in the food cultures of many countries of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa, including Spain, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco and Ethiopia.

Chickpeas are particularly beneficial for reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes and increasing insulin sensitivity compared to other high carb foods. 

They are rich in folate and copper, manganese, phosphorours and folate.

Try them in this Pumpkin and chickpea soup. It’s a great option as the weather gets cooler.

Lentils

Lentils are a good source of iron, which is important for those on a meat-free diet.

They are also a good source of thiamine (vitamin B1), folate (vitamin B9), copper and zinc.

Lentils can also help reduce blood sugar levels and ward off diabetes. They may also help improve cardiovascular health by lowering levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and raising levels of good (HDL) cholesterol.

Soy beans and Soy products

Soy bean products contain essential nutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fats). The protein in soya beans is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids that we need to get from our food. This makes it a great option for vegans and vegetarians. Unlike red meat it is low in saturated fat and cholesterol free.

Soy bean products also contain some other functional ingredients, including isoflavones, bioactive peptides, saponins and phytosterols.

Many studies have demonstrated the advantages of soybean products in lowering the risks for menopausal symptoms, cardiovascular diseases and cancers such as breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

The effects are particularly pronounced in women, perhaps because the soy isoflavones are phytoestrogens. That means they can mimic the effect of the hormone estrogen in the body, which tends to decline during menopause.

Soy milk works well with our Superflora Plant-based Chocolate shakes.

Try tofu in this Thai Red Curry or our Pesto, tofu, noodles & zoodles recipe.

And a special mention for fermented soy beans

Fermented soy bean foods are commonly used as seasoning agents or condiments to add flavour to food. But the microbes that ferment the soybeans can improve the bioavailability of nutrients and promote the generation of bioactive components.

These include compounds with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Nattokinase in natto and isoflavone and vitamin B12 found in tempeh can have neuroprotective properties. Plus, some fermented soy bean products contain peptides with potential to reduce hypertension. Other compounds (e.g., surfactin, isolavone, furanones) may have anti-cancer properties.

Researchers are trying to work out if these chemicals can be concentrated and used in supplements. In the meantime it’s worth adding a few fermented soy beans to your weekly diet.

The microbes found in the foods may themselves have beneficial effects on our microbiomes when eaten.

The probiotic used across our whole Superflora range - Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 was originally derived from a natto culture.

It has been shown to boost the health and diversity of the gut microbiome.

References:

Darmadi-Blackberry I, et al. (2004) Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 13(2):217-20. PMID: 15228991.

Qiao Y, et al., (2022) Fermented soybean foods: A review of their functional components, mechanism of action and factors influencing their health benefits. Food Res Int. 158:111575. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111575. Epub 2022 Jun 25. PMID: 35840260.

Written by: Dr Mary Webberley, Chief Scientific Officer at Noisy Guts. Mary has a background in biology, with two degrees from the University of Cambridge and post-doctoral research experience. She spent several years undertaking research into the diagnosis of IBS and IBD. She was the winner of the 2018 CSIRO Breakout Female Scientist Award.