5 Legumes To Help You Lose Fat
Legumes are high in proteins, fiber, and they make you feel satiated. They’re also undeniably delicious and versatile.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that eating a portion of legumes causes a sensation of fullness and mental peace.
Here you can learn how to tell which are the best legumes to help you lose fat. You’ll see that despite what you might think, these foods won’t make you gain weight if they’re cooked correctly.
Read this article to find out about 5 legumes that can help you lose weight.
1. Chickpeas
The first legumes on this list are chickpeas, which are great for helping you lose weight. This legume contains a lot of hydrosoluble fiber.
This type of fiber increases the volume in the stomach and makes you feel full and reduces your appetite, which in turn will help you lose weight.
Hummus
This creamy sauce is made out of chickpea puree and it’s mixed with other natural condiments to give it a fantastic and unique flavor. It’s perfect for eating with lite snacks in place of fried foods.
Ingredients
- A clove of garlic
- 1½ cups of cooked chickpeas (240 g)
- ½ glass of water (100 ml)
- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (60 ml)
- 2 tablespoons of tahini (30 g)
- Olive oil and salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas in the water for one day to make them soft.
- Liquidize the chickpeas with the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and salt.
- If the mixture is a bit thick, gradually dilute it by gradually adding water, until you get the consistency you want.
- Put the hummus in a glass jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge.
- You can eat it with celery sticks or bread.
Read this article too: The Wonderful Properties of Chickpeas
2. Lentils
These legumes which are great for losing weight are a fantastic source of folic acid, dietary fiber, manganese, phosphorous, copper, thiamine, and potassium.
Half a cup of boiled lentils (about 100 g) contains more than 2.5 mg of iron and up to 11 g of protein.
They’re an excellent for:
- Reducing your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
- Gaining energy.
- Stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Lentil Croquettes
Ingredients
- 1 cup of lentils (180 g)
- A clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley (15 g)
- 1 tablespoon of oregano (15 g)
- An egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Oil, salt, and pepper
Instructions
- Liquidize the lentils with the garlic, parsley, and oregano, with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, mix the egg and the breadcrumbs together to make a dough.
- Make croquettes using the dough and fry or grill them, according to your own preferences.
Check out this article too: 8 Remarkable Benefits of Lentils
3. Kidney Beans
100 g of these boiled legumes contains 8.5 g of dietary fiber, which makes it a great legume for losing fat. Kidney beans improve intestinal transit, which is extremely important for your diet.
Vegetarian Frijoles Charros
Ingredients
- 2 cups of kidney beans (400 g)
- Water (as necessary)
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup of chopped leek (45 g)
- ½ cup of chopped radishes (58 g)
- 2 cups of chopped carrots (230 g)
- ½ cups of chopped celery (50 g)
- A bunch of parsley
Instructions
- Boil the kidney beans with some salt, garlic, and half the chopped onion until they’re soft.
- Meanwhile, fry the other half of the chopped onion with the leek, radishes, and celery. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the carrot to the pan and fry for 5 minutes over a low heat until golden.
- Add the broth to the beans and cook them until all the flavors are well integrated. Garnish them with parsley and serve.
4. Soy Beans
Soybeans are another legume that are great for losing fat. This is because they provide a lot of proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Soybean Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 cup of soybeans, soaked in water (200 g)
- An egg
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 chopped pepper
- A clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 potato, boiled and mashed
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley (10 g)
- ½ cup of breadcrumbs (75 g)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together except the breadcrumbs.
- Form a burger patty and cover it in the breadcrumbs.
- Fry in hot oil and serve in a bun, along with lettuce, onion, and tomato.
5. Broad Beans
Broad beans are high in vitamin B1 and C, folic acid, carbohydrates, manganese, proteins, minerals (potassium, iron, copper, phosphorous, magnesium), and fiber. The best thing is that they contain almost zero fat.
Broad Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups of broad beans (252 g)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil (32 g)
- 1 cup of nopal, chopped, boiled, and drained (86 g)
- Salt, white pepper, and coriander (to taste)
Instructions
- Soak the kidney beans overnight.
- Cook the kidney beans in a casserole dish until they’re soft.
- Fry the onion with the garlic and tomato and cook them on a low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped nopal.
- Add the tomato mixture to the kidney beans in their broth. Then add salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes more before serving.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Kim SJ., Souza R., Choo Vl., Ha V., et al., Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta analysis of randomiez controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016.
- Warrilow A., Mellor D., McKune A., Pumpa K., Dietary fat, fibre, satiation, and satiety a systematic review of acute studies. Eur J CLin Nutr, 2019. 73 (3): 333-344.
- Filippini T., Violi F., D’Amico R., Vinceti M., The effect of potassium supplementation on blood pressure in hypertensive subjects: a systematic review and meta analysis. Int J Cardiol, 2017. 230: 127-135.
