Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home

From:	Claudia (conpx05.cms.hhs.gov)
Subject:	Re: Fuhrman sans beans
Date:	February 14, 2006 at 5:39 am PST

In Reply to: Re: Fuhrman sans beans posted by Robin K on February 13, 2006 at 8:22 am:

Hi,
I'd like to clarify things a bit on the nutrient density issue. We all need to take in enough calories to support life, which means that at some point we do need to include some of the more calorie dense foods in our diet, such as beans, grains, and nuts and seeds. The nuts and seeds of course are so dense and full of fat that they can only be eaten in relatively small quantities, and its when you look at the beans and grains that the beans are preferred over the grains because they are more nutrient-dense. That is why the beans are required and the grains are not. In terms of protein, it is virtually impossible to have a protein deficiency without a caloric deficiency. In other words, as long as you are eating enough food to support life, protein is not a problem, so there is really no reason to eat beans to get enough protein.

The main reasons for including the beans are that a) they satiate the appetite exceptionally well, which is a very important point for people trying to lose weight, and b) they are more nutrient dense than grains, which are rather nutrient poor, and this requirement helps to re-direct people who are used to relying on an overly grain based diet.

For a person who doesn't care for beans such as the larger black and red ones, I would like to suggest trying some of the smaller and faster cooking beans such as split peas or lentils, because sometimes people don't realize that these count in the bean category. I eat a lot of split pea and lentil soups. Also, I like to put chick peas on my salads.

Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home