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LEGUMES:
A Healthy Option |
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These
days restaurateurs must be prepared to respond
to their clients' growing concern about health
and diet. In terms of both their nutritional qualities
and their culinary potential, legumes are one
of the healthiest and wisest choices as dietary
constituents. They are, first and foremost, an
excellent source of vegetable protein - on average
23%. They are also rich in fibre, a component
that is, unfortunately, dangerously lacking in
the diets of our clients in the developed countries.
It is worth letting our diners know that legumes
are low in calories when they play a complementary
role within a meal, and that they contain neither
cholesterol nor fats that are harmful to the heart.
In addition to being an excellent source of iron
and minerals, recent studies have shown that they
can help prevent various chronic diseases.
Apart from the valuable contribution they can
make to maintaining a healthy diet, legumes are
a "good deal" for the planet: they enrich
the soils where they are grown with nitrogen,
and have a low ecological impact. Every chef knows
how convenient they are as a culinary element,
and how easy they are to keep and to cook (not
to mention their low cost). In short, legumes
are ideal for diners who are increasingly concerned
about the health of the planet and about their
own well-being.
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Calorie content:
it is important to communicate to consumers that
the basic calorie content of legumes - 300 kcal/
100 g of product - varies a great deal depending
on the other ingredients contained in a dish. Diners
will find them lighter if we take advantage of their
good taste and versatility by presenting them as
a complements or accompaniments in various dishes.
Their subtle flavour means that they can be a delicious
element in salads, rice dishes or any culinary combination.
Legumes are an important part of the "Mediterranean
diet", which has lately gained such widespread
recognition.
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Legumes
are rich in fibre,
both the soluble and the insoluble type. These two
kinds of fibre perform a number of important functions
in our bodies, such as:
detoxifying of the body
normalising bowel function
helping to prevent colon cancer
reducing blood levels of cholesterol
regulating digestion
lowering the level of the glucose peak produced
by the foods eaten with the legumes, thereby reducing
the risk of developing diabetes.
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An excellent meat substitute:
Our clients will be interested to know that, from
a nutritional perspective, legumes go particularly
well with grains. The way in which these two food
groups complement each other in the kind and the
quality of their proteins makes this combination
the only true substitute for meat. Unlike meat,
the proteins contained in legumes do not, in themselves,
have a high biological value: they are rich in lysine
but have a low level of methionine. In grains, this
imbalance is reversed, so, taken together, the proteins
are complementary and their "biological value"
is increased. It should also be noted that legumes
do not contain the saturated fats, sodium or cholesterol
that usually go along with products of animal origin.
Consumers also avoid other risks that are associated
with meat consumption and that are currently causing
such high levels of concern: mad cows and illegal
residues in meat. Legumes are, of course, also ideal
for vegetarians and those with elevated levels of
cholesterol or uric acid.
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Responsible consumption:
The energy cost involved in producing 1000 kcal
in the form of legumes is far less than that involved
in producing the same quantity of food energy in
the form of meat. In other words, to produce 1 kg
of meat, several kilos of legumes and cereals would
be required as animal feed. So, the resulting meat
product is more expensive both economically and
from the perspective of energy consumed. All this
when legumes themselves have nutritional qualities
that are very similar to the meat they are used
to produce. By consuming legumes, we are making
a contribution to lessening the hunger of the planet.
The responsible consumer will appreciate being provided
with this information.
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Vitamins and minerals:
Legumes contain three times as much iron as meat.
To aid in the assimilation of this mineral, it is
recommendable to complement the ingestion of legumes
with citrus fruit juice or with some other food
rich in vitamin C.
A kilo of legumes contains twice as much phosphorous
as a kilo of eggs and more than triple that contained
in a kilo of meat.
Legumes contain twice as much magnesium as rice,
4 to 5 times as much potassium as meat, and a significant
amount of calcium and iodine.
They also contain all of the water-soluble vitamins,
also known as the B group, which play a key role
in cellular metabolism.
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Other nutritional benefits:
Consumption of legumes has been found to be associated
with reduced rates of cancer and chronic disease.
Recent studies have shown that the colourful outer
coverings contain flavonoid pigments, which have
an antioxidant (anti-ageing) effect just like that
of similar components found in vegetables or in
wine. |
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In
conclusion, legumes are an essential component
of a vegetarian diet, but it should be noted that
they are not recommended in cases of colitis or
dyspepsia, or for those following low-fibre diets.
They are economical, and can be a useful element
in the context of a Western diet that tends to
include an excess of animal fat. Many of our clients
would like to find alternatives to meat and to
broaden their culinary and nutritional horizons. |
Nutritionist: Àngels Bardají
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