Legumes 101

I know most of you reading this are so sick of me talking about beans. "My nutritionist loves beans. In fact it's all she talks about...she's obsessed with them!" Not true...well, kind of true. Why do I insist that everyone consume these gas producing legumes? Well, my friend, I'll tell you (unless of course you follow more of a Paleo diet...but that's another lecture for another day). Let's call this little lecture legumes 101. Here are some legume fun facts. Well, they're fun for me anyway. You might already be bored. But stick with me, there's a recipe at the end!

• Legumes are a plant food that include beans, peas, and lentils
• They are nutrient dense and contain iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate, among others
• They are fiber rich!!! How do you get 1/3 of your daily fiber needs? Eat 1/2 a cup of legumes daily.
• They are low-glycemic
• They are a wonderful protein substitute for those on vegetarian or vegan diets
• They taste good...if you know how to cook them correctly

Ok, so now on to the subject of digestability. Have a difficult time digesting my favorite plant food? Slowly increase your intake and over time you can eat your 1/2 cup daily serving. You see, legumes contain sugars that our bodies have a hard time digesting but our GI tracts can easily adapt if you slowly introduce.

And now for a recipe. Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are my favorite legume! Most people have little trouble digesting them and they are neutral in flavor which makes them perfect for many recipes. I have tried to introduce the concept of roasted chickpeas to most of you but just in case I forgot you (I'm sorry!) here is a simple recipe for all of your crunchy, salty, (fiber filled) needs.

Roasted Chickpeas:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse a can of chickpeas and pat dry with a paper towel. Pour the contents of the can on a cookie sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up!). Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the beans and any spices you desire. My favorite right now is smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper. There are lots of spices you could use so just experiment. Place in preheated over for 20 minutes and take out and move the beans around. Then keep checking them every 7-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for legumes 102. I know you can't wait.