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.

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.

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.

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.