The importance of legumes

[shyvas]

It's great to hear that you are listening to your body. I imagine its similar to me, it just becomes too draining not too listen. What foods are you finding that work for you?

Green vegetables,nut, fruit, yogurt and soya protein. I'm also feeling so much better since I dumped the carbs. I have less migraines and feel that I have more energy.

 

[Tom L.]

I should probably eat more legumes as well, it's just that preparing the dry ones takes so long, which incidentally also is the cheapest option.

This is true, for the most part. Dry beans can also have less salt/sodium, if that's an issue. However, dried lentils and dried split peas cook comparatively quickly with no presoaking needed. (Unfortunately, they're not my first choice for taste; I think my favorites are white beans and garbanzos- and garbanzos take forever to cook, at least for me!)

I bought some dried organic green lentils last weekend because I hadn't soaked any beans the night before. They were pricey, as legumes go- about $2 a pound- but they were pretty good.

 

[thefadedone]

I only cook dry beans. Isa (author of Veganomicon) has a saying in her new book Isa Does It : "always be soaking". In the book she's talking about nuts, but this is true for beans also. I seem to always have a bowl of dry beans soaking overnight. The next morning I drain them and put them in the crockpot for a few hours. When they're done I portion them up in freezer bags and stick them in the freezer.

 

[KLS52]

I need to use dry beans more. I'm always afraid I'm going to need them I won't have them cooked. It really wouldn't take much effort to try and do as you do, faded.

I don't use a crockpot but I'm up early enough in the morning that I could probably cook them before I go to work.

 

[Wolfie]

There was an article in the most recent Vegetarian Times. Someone had asked about how to get protein when they had various allergies, and the answer was getting enough protein would still be easy, but make sure they got enough lysine. I can't seem to find it on-line though. Maybe because that issue is still on store shelves.