Legumes, foods rich in nutrients and important for humans: but which ones have the most properties of all? Let’s discover them together!
Since we were children we have been accustomed to the consumption of legumes, understood as the edible seeds of plants that we generally associate with vegetables or cereals (the term is also indicative of the genus of fabaceous plants from which they derive). As children we probably always turned up our noses when we were offered a plate of pasta with beans, or when we were offered chickpea soup or lentil soup for dinner. However growing up we learned to appreciate its taste and maybe even to know its beneficial properties.
In particular, those who want to have a balanced diet or need to lose weight often include a course made up exclusively of legumes in their meals, or use them as a side dish to replace bread and pasta, since these are rich in carbohydrates and therefore I am useful for replenishing our body with energy. Legumes also contain folic acid, vitamin B1 and vitamin H, as well as essential elements for our body such as iron, magnesium, zinc and fibre.
The properties and vitamins contained in legumes are useful for those who want to embark on a completely vegetarian or vegan diet. In fact, thanks to the ingestion of these foods it is possible to replace the energy, protein and vitamin intake which is typical of meat.
The presence of iron is mainly useful in this sense, the lack of which can cause imbalances in our body. They can also be useful for those suffering from celiac disease and do not always want to replace pasta and bread with specific products for this ailment (also given the expensive cost).
Lupins: history and diffusion of these legumes
Not many probably know that lupins also belong to this family of edible seeds. Once upon a time these were very widespread and used, mainly as an edible legume, but also for various other uses.
Coming from the Lupinus plant, it is thought that the origin of this crop is oriental and that it has come down to us because its seeds were able to take root practically everywhere. Lupinus, in fact, is able to germinate and flourish even in unfavorable conditions, on arid and acid soils, where other plants would not be able to grow.
A well-known plant and used in ancient civilizations such as the Mayans and the Egyptians, the lupinus was mainly used as a food, but those populations already knew its beneficial effects for agriculture and they often sowed them to enrich the soil with nutrients before growing more. Furthermore, with the ground lupins, forage was created for the farms, obtaining nutritious food at low cost for the animals to grow.
The replacement of lupins with products created industrially to improve the quality and yield of the soil or to optimize livestock nutrition has brought down the demand for the production of these legumes. Furthermore, unlike other legumes, lupins are often underestimated as ingredients for preparations of recipes. For years they remained only as snacks – mainly the yellow ones – to be eaten occasionally (often street vendors sold them at toll booths in the summer), but currently the trend has changed.
In fact, recently there has been a rediscovery of these legumes due to their nourishing properties, but also due to their beneficial properties for the body. Lupins are increasingly used to structure balanced diets and as an alternative to other legumes or cereals for specific preparations. Here in Italy there are three varieties: the white lupine (or Albus), the blue lupine and the most common of all, the yellow lupine.
All the benefits deriving from the consumption of Lupins
Now let’s go deeper into what they are benefits deriving from the consumption of these legumes. Recent studies have in fact highlighted how these seeds can be useful to ward off the risk of health problems.
Blood sugar control
From the structural analysis of these legumes it has been discovered that they are particularly effective in controlling blood sugar levels. The merit would be the presence of a high percentage of soluble fiber, the intake of which slows down that of carbohydrates and therefore reduces glycemic peaks.
Recent studies have also highlighted how the protein conglutin-gamma contained in lupins it may have an effect similar to that of insulin. For this reason, numerous studies are currently underway aimed at the creation of food supplements based on lupins powder. Furthermore, it seems that an extract capable of keeping blood sugar levels under control is also being studied.
Contrast of cholesterol and benefits for the heart
The presence in these legumes of Omega 3 and Omega 6 – regarded as good fats – can help reduce the effects of cholesterol in the blood. The addition of this food in the diet, in fact, reduces the entry of harmful fats into the blood and therefore helps blood circulation and removes the risk of heart and cardiovascular problems.
The positive effects on the cardio-circulatory system are also favored by the presence of vitamins B1 and B9, which have proven effects on improving blood circulation. In the end the high presence of potassium it allows you to keep blood pressure levels low, another risk factor not only for heart attacks, but also for the onset of stroke and ischemia.
Ideal for fighting osteoporosis
Too often we underestimate the risk of a skeleton unable to support the weight of the years. We tend to be careful with children when they are growing but underestimate the importance of bone health when you are an adult. Yet paying attention is necessary to avoid having problems in old age.
Lupins are rich in calcium and phosphorus, proteins that serve to counteract bone fragility. Their consumption for that purpose it is particularly suitable for women in menopause – whose hormonal activity exposes the stability of the bones to a great risk – and for the elderly, given that bone density decreases physiologically after a certain age.
Lupins excellent diet allies: debittering
We have already anticipated how lupins can be used as a side dish for a low-calorie diet or a vegan diet. This is because the presence of carbohydrates and many proteins allow the body to have the right contributions without the need to add high-calorie foods to our meals in our diet.
Before moving on to two possible recipes, it should be noted that lupins should never be eaten raw. This is because there are components – the alkaloids – which make them very bitter in taste, but above all they can be toxic for some individuals. Before consuming them, therefore, it is good to proceed with the de-bittering. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- soak them in water for 12 hours;
- drain and rinse them under running water;
- put them in a pot full of water and cook them for at least an hour after they return to the boil;
- Let them cool, drain them and rinse them under running water;
- Put a liter of water and 30 g of salt in a container, pour the lupins and check that they are all covered in salted water, mix and leave to soak;
- Water and salt should be changed 2 times a day – morning and evening – for five days;
- After the last soak, rinse them well and dry them, they will be ready to be consumed.
How can we use them in the kitchen
It has already been said that they can be eaten separately as a snack if you like their very acidic taste, it is also possible to use them whole to enrich salads and soups with flavour. There are also those who use them pulverized to give a touch of acidity to homemade meatballs and hamburgers.
Probably the two tastiest preparations are hummus and vegan mayonnaise. The former is prepared exactly like the original variant, replacing the chickpea paste with that of lupins and adding it to the dough tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and paprika, ground cumin seeds and finely chopped parsley, once mixed everything is served raw and enjoyed with bread. Mayonnaise, on the other hand, is prepared by blending lupins together with soy milk, apple cider vinegar, sunflower seed oil and mustard.