LEGUMES: A Healthy Option

These days restaurateurs must be prepared to respond to their clients' growingconcern about health and diet. In terms of both their nutritional qualities and theirculinary potential, legumes are one of the healthiest and wisest choices as dietaryconstituents. 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 acomplementary role within a meal, and that they contain neither cholesterol nor fatsthat are harmful to the heart. In addition to being an excellent source of iron andminerals, recent studies have shown that they can help prevent various chronicdiseases. 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 aregrown with nitrogen, and have a low ecological impact. Every chef knows howconvenient they are as a culinary element, and how easy they are to keep and tocook (not to mention their low cost). In short, legumes are ideal for diners who areincreasingly concerned about the health of the planet and about their own well-being.

Calorie content:it is important to communicate toconsumers that the basic caloriecontent of legumes - 300 kcal/ 100 g ofproduct - varies a great deal dependingon the other ingredients contained in adish. Diners will find them lighter if wetake advantage of their good taste andversatility by presenting them as acomplements or accompaniments invarious dishes. Their subtle flavourmeans that they can be a deliciouselement in salads, rice dishes or anyculinary combination. Legumes are animportant part of the "Mediterraneandiet", which has lately gained suchwidespread recognition.

Legumes are rich in fibre,both the soluble and the insoluble type.These two kinds of fibre perform anumber of important functions in ourbodies, 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 glucosepeak produced by the foods eatenwith the legumes, thereby reducingthe risk of developing diabetes.

An excellent meat substitute:Our clients will be interested to knowthat, from a nutritional perspective,legumes go particularly well with grains.The way in which these two food groups

Responsible consumption:The energy cost involved in producing1000 kcal in the form of legumes is farless than that involved in producing thesame quantity of food energy in theform of meat. In other words, to produce1 kg of meat, several kilos of legumesand cereals would be required as animalfeed. So, the resulting meat product ismore expensive both economically andfrom the perspective of energyconsumed. All this when legumesthemselves have nutritional qualitiesthat are very similar to the meat theyare used to produce. By consuminglegumes, we are making a contributionto lessening the hunger of the planet.The responsible consumer willappreciate being provided with thisinformation.

Vitamins and minerals:Legumes contain three times as muchiron as meat. To aid in the assimilationof this mineral, it is recommendable tocomplement the ingestion of legumeswith citrus fruit juice or with some otherfood rich in vitamin C.

A kilo of legumes contains twice asmuch phosphorous as a kilo of eggsand more than triple that contained in akilo of meat.

Legumes contain twice as muchmagnesium as rice, 4 to 5 times asmuch potassium as meat, and asignificant amount of calcium andiodine.

They also contain all of the water-soluble vitamins, also known as the Bgroup, which play a key role in cellularmetabolism.

complement each other in the kind andthe quality of their proteins makes thiscombination the only true substitute formeat. Unlike meat, the proteinscontained in legumes do not, inthemselves, have a high biologicalvalue: they are rich in lysine but have alow level of methionine. In grains, thisimbalance is reversed, so, takentogether, the proteins arecomplementary and their "biologicalvalue" is increased. It should also benoted that legumes do not contain thesaturated fats, sodium or cholesterolthat usually go along with products ofanimal origin. Consumers also avoidother risks that are associated withmeat consumption and that arecurrently causing such high levels ofconcern: mad cows and illegal residuesin meat. Legumes are, of course, alsoideal for vegetarians and those withelevated levels of cholesterol or uricacid.

Other nutritional benefits:Consumption of legumes has beenfound to be associated with reducedrates of cancer and chronic disease.

Recent studies have shown that thecolourful outer coverings containflavonoid pigments, which have anantioxidant (anti-ageing) effect just likethat of similar components found invegetables or in wine.

In conclusion, legumes are an essential component of a vegetarian diet, but itshould be noted that they are not recommended in cases of colitis or dyspepsia, or forthose following low-fibre diets. They are economical, and can be a useful element inthe context of a Western diet that tends to include an excess of animal fat. Many ofour clients would like to find alternatives to meat and to broaden their culinary andnutritional horizons.

Nutritionist: Àngels Bardají