Benefits of legumes for children
Legumes are characteristic foods of the Mediterranean diet, consuming mainly in traditional hot stews. At present, influenced by other culinary cultures, it is also common to consume them in the form of salads or even to snack , such as hummus, which makes legumes an easy dish to consume throughout
Legumes are characteristic foods of the Mediterranean diet, consuming mainly in traditional hot stews. At present, influenced by other culinary cultures, it is also common to consume them in the form of salads or even to snack, such as hummus, which makes legumes an easy dish to consume throughout the year.
Legumes bring great benefits to children. We review them.
Benefits of legumes for children
Within what we call legumes can be beans, lentils and chickpeas, in addition to soybeans (dried vegetables), green beans and peas. The green beans and the peas, being fresh, have some different properties than the rest, being more rich in vitamins than the rest of the legumes and looking more, nutritionally, to the vegetables in general.
1. They provide many proteins: Dried legumes are an important source of protein, whose deficient amino acid is methionine. However, they can be considered high biological value if combined with cereals, since cereals provide this amino acid. Cereals and legumes are complemented by making their protein contribution the best quality that can be obtained in foods of plant origin. These combinations can be found in traditional dishes of the Mediterranean diet, such as lentils stewed with rice or Madrid stew (chickpeas) with noodle soup (wheat). Hummus is usually eaten with bread sticks, so it also responds to these types of combinations.
Soy, unlike other dried vegetables, has a more balanced protein, so it is of better quality even without combining it with other foods.
2. They are low in fat: On the other hand, legumes are foods low in fat and rich in minerals and vitamins of group B.
3. They provide a lot of iron: They are, specifically, a source of iron.
4. They provide fiber and complex carbohydrates: Additionally, legumes are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates. While this is beneficial for the infant diet, which is usually low in fiber, these non-digestible carbohydrates (fiber) are known to generate flatulence in the intestine. Complex carbohydrates are hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract and their energy is released more slowly than that of simple carbohydrates, so it provides the body with a feeling of fullness that lasts after ingestion. In this way, glucose is absorbed slowly and insulin is released in a controlled manner, providing energy for a long time, something very useful to support the activity pattern of the smallest, which requires constant energy.
Why we should offer legumes to children
Some legumes also have toxins, such as lectin, that can affect some cellular functions such as protein synthesis. However these toxins are destroyed with the correct cooking of the legume, so they do not present health problems.
Dry legumes are, therefore, one of the most complete foods that we can find, advising to incorporate them into the diet since childhood. Moreover, its intake counts as one of the 5 servings of fruit and vegetables that are recommended to consume daily, so they should be consumed on average 2 or 3 times a week.
