{"id":233624,"date":"2025-07-03T03:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T03:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/233624\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T03:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T03:07:10","slug":"want-to-eat-healthier-add-half-a-cup-of-this-food-to-your-daily-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/233624\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to eat healthier? Add half a cup of this food to your daily diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gardner was part of a US Government committee of nutrition experts that issued a report in December that said that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should emphasise beans, peas and lentils as a healthy source of protein <\/a>and a good substitute for red and processed meat.<\/p>\n

He said adults should aim to eat at least a half cup of beans, peas or lentils per day \u2013 rather than per week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be doubling and tripling our bean intake \u2013 we should be eating them every day,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cNutrient-wise they have all of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff \u2013 and they tend to be a lot less expensive than other foods. There are few foods that cost as little as beans, peas and lentils.\u201d<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a>How eating beans can make you healthier<\/p>\n

Pulses are the dried edible seeds found in the pods of a group of plants called legumes, which are among the oldest cultivated crops on earth. Across the globe, nearly every culture includes some type of pulse or legume in their traditional cuisine.<\/p>\n

That may be in part because of their nutrient density. Pulses typically have several times more protein and fibre than brown rice, corn, wheat and other grains. A single cup of cooked lentils, for example, has 18g of protein, the amount in three large eggs. Yet unlike animal foods, they\u2019re naturally free of cholesterol<\/a> and low in saturated fat.<\/p>\n

All pulses are high in fibre and rich in nutrients <\/a>such as iron, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. A cup of cooked lentils has 16g of fibre \u2013 more than half the recommended daily amount of fibre that the average adult needs.<\/p>\n

In 2020, a systematic review of randomised controlled trials found adults who were assigned to eat an average of about a half-cup of cooked beans, peas or lentils daily had striking improvements in their cardiovascular, gut and metabolic health. They lost weight, shrank their waistlines and lowered their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. They also had reductions in inflammation and positive changes in their gut microbiomes.<\/p>\n

The researchers speculated that the health benefits were in large part a result of the ample amounts of fibre in pulses. Beans, peas and lentils contain a special type of fibre called resistant starch, which gets its name because it resists digestion in the small intestine. Resistant starch travels down to the large intestine, where it\u2019s metabolised by gut bacteria that convert it into health-promoting compounds such as short-chain fatty acids.<\/p>\n

The authors of the review also looked into potential downsides. Although beans have a reputation for causing flatulence, the researchers found that cases of gastrointestinal discomfort were fairly rare and not severe. \u201cNone of the participants withdrew from the studies because of these symptoms,\u201d the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

If you are concerned about gastrointestinal issues, though, one of the best things you can do is to gradually increase the amount of beans, peas and lentils in your diet. This will give your body time to adjust to the increase in fibre and as your tolerance rises, any initial increase in flatulence should dissipate, said Chris Damman, a gastroenterologist at the Digestive Health Centre at the University of Washington Medical Centre and the author of Gut Bites MD, a blog on gut health and nutrition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mantra is to go low and go slow,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Better for your budget and the environment<\/p>\n

Damman said that when people ask him what they should eat to improve their health, he recommends beans, peas and lentils \u201cabove all other foods\u201d, for both their nutrient content and their low cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a superfood,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re healthy, but they\u2019re also affordable \u2013 and that\u2019s really important right now with inflation and today\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n

Studies have found that pulses are among the lowest-cost sources of protein, with their average prices significantly below that of chicken, beef, pork, turkey, seafood, nuts, seeds and lamb. They\u2019re also less expensive than eggs.<\/p>\n

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, a pound (0.45kg) of dried beans on average costs about US$1.70 ($2.80), compared with about US$6 for a pound of ground beef, roughly US$4.20 for a pound of chicken breast and at least US$4.60 for a dozen large eggs.<\/p>\n

Researchers have found beans, peas and lentils are among the most affordable nutrient-rich foods worldwide. And they have a lower environmental footprint than other protein-rich foods. Growing pulses uses less water and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared with meat production. It also improves soil quality, which reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.<\/p>\n

How to eat more beans, peas and lentils<\/p>\n

One of the simplest ways to include more pulses in your diet is to add them to your favourite meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to change very much if you\u2019re just adding them to the foods that you\u2019re already eating,\u201d said Jill Weisenberger, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, Second Edition.<\/p>\n

\"Beans,Beans, peas and lentils are cheap, nutritious, and highly recommended by health experts. Photo \/ 123RFHere are some examples:<\/p>\n

Eating eggs for breakfast? Pair them with black beans, alone or in breakfast burritos.<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having a sandwich for lunch, add some chickpeas by spreading hummus on your bread instead of mayonnaise.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having chicken salad, open a can of white beans and mix some in. \u201cSoft white cannellini beans are really good with tuna or chicken salad,\u201d Weisenberger said. Just make sure to rinse the beans first, which helps to remove sodium, she added.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re making a salad, open a can of cooked beans, peas or lentils and toss a couple of spoonfuls in.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having pasta with tomato sauce for dinner, open a can of kidney beans and mix some in. The taste and texture of the kidney beans will complement the sauce, Weisenberger said.<\/p>\n

Making chilli, soup or stew for a big family dinner? Smash some white beans, and add them to the pot. The smashed beans will thicken up your stew, soup or chilli, and no one will even realise they\u2019re in there, Weisenberger said.<\/p>\n

Anytime you\u2019re making a recipe with minced beef, replace some of the beef with cooked brown lentils to stretch the meat and add some fibre and extra nutrients. Brown lentils have a mild flavour, and they resemble the appearance and texture of cooked minced beef. Try adding the cooked lentils in a 2-to-1 ratio with the minced beef (2 cups of cooked lentils for each pound of cooked minced beef). You can do this to make burgers, Bolognese, taco meat and even sloppy joes.<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n

With so many varieties of beans, peas and lentils, there are endless ways to consume them. You can use hummus as a dip for chips and veges or snack on roasted chickpeas instead of potato chips. (You can roast them at home on a baking sheet, or buy them online or at your grocery store.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re making food at home, there is almost always a way to add beans, peas or lentils to your meal, Weisenberger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can eat them with Mexican flavours, Italian flavours, Asian flavours,\u201d she added. \u201cOne of the best things about them is that they\u2019re so versatile. I think that\u2019s something a lot of people forget.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gardner was part of a US Government committee of nutrition experts that issued a report in December that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[91569,64648,18876,4501,9355,1742,372,79334,76858,1203,56556,24571,36667,105,91568,13779,76854,7911,20996,4434,91571,3577,91570,457,91572,3165,91278,91573,40881,9989,6093,16,65056,15,24573,69890,7763],"class_list":{"0":"post-233624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-add","9":"tag-barrier","10":"tag-biggest","11":"tag-cost","12":"tag-cup","13":"tag-daily","14":"tag-diet","15":"tag-eat","16":"tag-expensive","17":"tag-food","18":"tag-foods","19":"tag-fruits","20":"tag-half","21":"tag-health","22":"tag-healthier","23":"tag-healthy","24":"tag-many","25":"tag-meat","26":"tag-more","27":"tag-nutrition","28":"tag-nutritious","29":"tag-of","30":"tag-often","31":"tag-people","32":"tag-seafood","33":"tag-struggle","34":"tag-such","35":"tag-tend","36":"tag-than","37":"tag-this","38":"tag-to","39":"tag-uk","40":"tag-ultraprocessed","41":"tag-united-kingdom","42":"tag-vegetables","43":"tag-want","44":"tag-your"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114787099865868260","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}