The healthy legumes on the Wheel of Five

In March 2016 a new Wheel of Five was released. The Wheel of Five contains five courses with good, healthy products. If you eat enough every day, from every subject, your body will receive enough energy and nutrients it needs for good health. In addition to a number of old, trusted recommendations that we already knew, it also contains new recommendations. One of these updated recommendations is to eat legumes every week. But legumes are made up of different types and aren't they just vegetables? Which kind is healthy for us now and which legumes should we eat every week, in addition to our portion of vegetables, according to the Nutrition Center?

What are legumes? Difference in legumes, vegetables and nuts on the Wheel of Five Healthy legumes Dried legumes or canned or jar

What are legumes?

A pod is a fruit that is rich in protein. The pod has a carrot that, when the pod is ripe, opens on both sides. Pods belong to the legume family, the second largest family of flowering plants and the only flower family to have pods. This flower family is found all over the world. There are two types of pods; single-seeded and multi-seeded pods, of which multi-seeded pods are the best known. Often the name legume is used for the seeds from the pods, such as pea, lentil and broad bean. But legumes are also eaten whole, such as with the green bean.

The pea family has over 19,000 species, so there are an awful lot of legumes within this family. But the best known and edible legumes for us are:

On the Wheel of Five we see the groups vegetables, nuts and legumes. But what is the difference between vegetables and legumes? We know the green legumes, such as green beans and broad beans as "regular vegetables", yet these are actually legumes. How does this work? According to botany, the green legumes are just legumes, but the Nutrition Center places them in the vegetable compartment. We often eat these green legumes as vegetables with the main meal. Not a problem in itself, just like other vegetables they are certainly healthy and very high in protein. That is why these green legumes do not fall under the heading of legumes, the new recommendation of the Wheel of Five.

The list of legumes also includes the peanut. Officially it is a legume, but because of its nutrients and the way in which they are consumed, we use them more as nuts than as legumes. That is why in this case too the Nutrition Center puts the peanuts in the nut compartment.

The legumes on the 'legume list' of the Nutrition Center are rich in fiber, protein, iron, vitamin B1 and many more important nutrients that are indispensable for good health. Legumes also lower the bad cholesterol in our body, the LDL cholesterol and in this way keep your blood vessels healthy. These legumes also all contain the same nutrients as meat, except for vitamin B12. This means that these legumes also fit perfectly in a vegetarian diet as a meat substitute. Make sure you regularly eat dairy and eggs, because you get vitamin B12 through these products. The only downside to eating these legumes is that it induces flatulence!

There are several ways you can obtain legumes. They are available in tins and in pots, but also in dried form. For your health there is no difference which form you choose. If you have little time and want to prepare a quick meal, you can opt for legumes from a can or jar, because they only need to be heated. Always look carefully at the amount of salt in a can. The amount of nutrients is stated on the back of the packaging. If it contains more than 200 mg of sodium per 100 grams, don't take it. Always rinse canned vegetables well under the tap before use, to rinse away as much added salt as possible.

The Nutrition Center advises to eat legumes every week, so the salt content that your body gets when consuming the weekly recommended amount is well adjusted. If you eat canned legumes more often during the week, it is wise to opt for legumes without added salt.