Legumes belong to a large class of vegetables with seed pods that split along the sides when they're ripe. They're packed with plenty of protein, potassium, magnesium and folate, but are low in fat and cholesterol-free. Legumes are rich in the soluble and insoluble fiber that contributes to normal bowel function and improves your heart health.
Types
Many Americans are familiar with common legumes such as peas, lentils and navy beans, but there are many other options available. The next time you're in the grocery store, look for less popular varieties of beans, such as black beans, Anasazi beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas or garbanzos, fava beans, lima beans or Adzuki beans. Edamame, or green soybeans, and soy nuts, also known as roasted soybeans, are also legumes.
Effects of Fiber
Fiber refers to the parts of the legume that your body can't digest or absorb. The insoluble fiber, or roughage, in legumes adds bulk and softness to your stools and helps them travel through your intestines more rapidly. Soluble fiber bonds with bile acids produced by your liver to create the gel-like component of your stools. Your liver uses some of its cholesterol stores to manufacture these bile acids, then pulls some of the cholesterol from your blood to replace the cholesterol stores. This process reduces both your total cholesterol and LDL, or "bad," cholesterol levels.
Comparison
Legumes offer a heart-healthy alternative to meats, eggs and other protein sources that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats. A cup of boiled lentils, for example, contains about 18 g of protein and 16 g of fiber, but only 0.1 g of saturated fat and no cholesterol at all. Compare this with two large scrambled eggs that provide just over 12 g of protein, no fiber, more than 4 g of saturated fat and a whopping 338 mg of cholesterol.
Significance
Coronary heart disease begins when excess LDL cholesterol in your blood accumulates on the inner walls of the arteries that nourish your heart muscles. These accumulations harden into plaques that restrict the flow of oxygen and other vital nutrients to your heart, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. A diet high in saturated fat increases both LDL and total cholesterol levels. When you replace meat, eggs and other protein sources with legumes, you eliminate much of the saturated fat that raises cholesterol levels while adding fiber that lowers cholesterol levels. This dual effect helps you keep your cholesterol levels within normal limits and promotes heart health.
