Discover how to prepare legumes for maximum disgestability and minimum anti-nutrients.
How to Make Legumes Your Friend “I can see my future and its full of beans!” This is quote by Graham Lawton, a scientific writer for the journal “NewScientist”. As he was writing about the food groups which are especially helpful to optimize LifeSpan and HealthSpan in humans. Correctly prepared legumes stand out for their ability to feed the microbiome with prebiotic fiber, to deliver slow releasing protein that will not overpower longevity pathways like mTOR and for being full of vital nutrients including phytonutrients like polyphenols and isoflavones. They have been shown to have natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and even mild antimicrobial benefits and can help support healthy and normal cell division especially in the gut and support healthy bone density in everyone but also in the elderly. They are also associated with better cognitive health and heart health. There is no reason to look down on legumes - as in addition they are environmentally and soil friendly and very cost effective. Especially dense in protective phytonutrients are the small darker colored varieties with black beluga lentils on top of the list for more nutrient density, followed by all types of lentils and peas, mung and adzuki beans and chickpeas. So why are legumes under consumed and underrated in western societies? First of all – with the exception of denatured soy products that I do not recommend - they do not have a commercial lobby. The public is often not educated about how to use and prepare it correctly and about health and longevity benefits.
In addition, some people observe that they cannot tolerate legumes well and it gives them digestive discomfort or even immune reactions. I was one of those people and this is a thing of the past for me as I learned how to handle these foods to open the treasure of their benefits. Lack of ability to tolerate legumes often comes from their anti-nutrient content. Anti-nutrients are part of the plants defense system against mammal predators – like us. They include phytic acid, lectins, tannins, trypsin inhibitors, saponins, oxalates and more. A lot of stuff to react to for sensitive guts and very “alert” immune systems. Choosing the varieties with the most anti-nutrients is also often an issue. By contrast to the varieties above that contain not only the most nutrients but also the least anti- nutrients, some of the more anti-nutrient dense varieties are dark red and black kidney beans, fava beans and lupine and of course soy which leads the list of most anti-nutrient compounds and is also one of the top five food allergens for humans. Here are steps that may help you to make legumes your friend. 1. Soaking: the minimum requirement to make dry legumes digestible and palatable is a 24- hour soak with a 4-time water change within that period. Always completely discard and rinse the water as it carries the anti-nutrients. This will already help remove a bigger part of the anti-nutrients and can be all it takes for less sensitive people. 2. Sprouting: better if you can sprout the legumes for another 24 to 48 hours after the 24 hours soaking. This
will not only reduce the anti-nutrient content even further but also increase the nutrient density by up to 5 times. Once sprouted and rinsed they can be used raw in salads, veggie bowls and other dishes. 3. Sprouting and steaming: However, even if you plan to steam or cook them later it still makes sense to sprout them first. Because you will lose enzymes and some nutrients in cooking or steaming but as you have increased the nutrients content before that the net effect will still be better. Sprouting also makes them tender already so they can be put in a steaming basket or tray with other tender veggies, and they are ready in minutes. In case you prefer that over raw consumption. 4. Pressure cooking: you may think by now that this sounds laborious and also what about legumes that come in cans? Legumes in cans or in glasses have already been cooked and usually without any proper practices to reduce anti-nutrients in an optimal way. But you cannot sprout or soak these anymore. The one method you can use to eliminate or greatly reduce antinutrients for both pre-soaked or pre-sprouted legumes and for canned organic legumes is using a pressure cooker. This will help break down the most anti-nutrients of all the methods and is therefore suitable for even the most sensitive guts and people with autoimmune conditions. More about pressure cooking This was invented about 700 hundred years ago and has been refined meanwhile to optimal safety standards. It is s also commonly used in macrobiotics – a Japanese version of a longevity diet. And it has become more popular recently
because it also saves 50% of the cooking time and 70% of the energy needed for cooking or steaming. Also, since the time the food is exposed to the heat if cut in half it has been shown to help retain about 1,7 times of some vitamins compared to normal cooking or steaming. A pressure cooker needs to be a good quality stainless steel model that is able to reach 2 bars of pressure to achieve all this. I am not paid or compensated for recommending this brand - but my family and customers do best with the WMF models with a steaming tray. Such a pressure cooker you buy once, and you have it for your whole life. It also removes the anti-nutrients from night shade veggies – tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers - that some people have gut and immune reactions to. And it makes cabbage and kale tender and easily digestible in minutes while retaining their vitamin C content and other nutrients better than normal steaming or cooking or stir- frying. For people who are getting digestive discomfort by eating those raw or fermented. All veggie and bean curry dishes can be started in it like in any other pan and then apply the lid to let it simmer for 6 minutes under pressure. All types of hummuses will become extra creamy with pressure cooked legumes. What is added to dishes with legumes? Sometimes I found that my clients reacted not to the legumes but to what they put into the dish. Usually, it is the soy sauce or the heated or roasted tahini in hummus that is full of denatured omega 6 oils. I personally skip the tahini when making hummus and use raw stone ground almond butter and only a little bit of
ground fresh sesame seeds as a topping for the taste. To get more anti-inflammatory omega 9 fats from almonds rather than too many pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats like in tahini. The omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of tahini is 137:1 and ideally, we would ingest a 4:1 ratio in our food. Seasoning with fresh and dried herbs and spices is best for sensible guts. Platinum products When it comes to Platinum products the vegan protein in our drinks is more than soaked, it is water extracted, or water hydrolyzed which means it has undergone a lot of soaking and washing and is therefore usually well tolerated even by sensitive people. MAP consists of predigested free amino acids that are made by microbial fermentation of starches. So, they are completely hypo-allergenic and easy to absorb and can be used to supplement protein requirements as well. But they do not come with the hundreds of other longevity and protective nutrients and peptides present in legumes or other plants that are protein rich. And it also does not come with the preformed non- essential aminos like other proteins in nature. It has its specific benefits but also whole foods have their benefits and so I usually recommend getting as much of your protein as you can from organic whole foods and the Platinum L.O.V.E. Drinks, like MVP Vanilla and Chocolate, Dark Berry, Vanilla Chai and then it is still necessary supplement the rest with MAP to reach the protein amount
that fits your wellness-goal. Does blood type play a role?
It might, as long as you do not prepare the legumes like above. Blood type specific lectins are the reasons why certain legumes are not recommended for certain blood types by some nutritionists and practitioners. But once you remove lectins like above – both blood type specific lectins and generally adverse lectins and antinutrients it will usually not matter any longer. Does fermenting help? Yes, it will help with greatly reducing anti-nutrient content. However fermented products might raise other issues like histamine reactions and mast cell activation issues in some people. You might want to try if this is an option for you. Author: Martina Friedinger is Platinum Europe 3-Star Crown, Certified Nutritionist and Book Author specializing in longevity nutrition, epigenetics, heart health and brain health. Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace the recommendations of your health care professional or your own nutritionist.
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