The Nutritional Powerhouses Everyone Knows
Soybeans reign supreme in the legume kingdom, dominating global markets alongside their close companions chickpeas and lentils. Despite the dominance of a few legumes in commercial markets like soybean, groundnut, chickpea, and lentil, numerous indigenous varieties such as adzuki bean, horse gram, and moth bean remain underexplored. These popular varieties have earned their spot through impressive nutritional profiles and versatility in cuisines worldwide.
One serving of legumes, which is one-half cup, provides about 115 calories, 20 g of carbohydrate, 7–9 g of fiber, 8 g of protein, and 1 g of fat. What makes these mainstream legumes special isn’t just their numbers on paper. All the members of the legume family are full of nutrients, including copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, zinc, the essential amino acid lysine, and lots of protein and fiber. Each type of bean has a different nutritional profile, so eating a variety of beans may be best, experts say.
The 2025 US Dietary Advisory Committee recently elevated legumes to nutritional stardom. Beans and their legume cousins, peas and lentils, entered the nutritional spotlight Tuesday when the 2025 US Dietary Advisory Committee released scientific guidance that could shape federal nutrition advice for the next five years. “What we’re recommending is that the protein section of MyPlate, the government’s food guide on how to eat a healthy diet, start with beans, peas and lentils,” said committee member Dr. Christopher Gardner, a research professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in California who directs its Nutrition Studies Research Group.
Chickpeas: The Mediterranean Marvel
Chickpeas have conquered social media as much as they’ve conquered dinner tables. Recently, social media platforms, including TikTok and Facebook, have been flooded with content highlighting the significance of chickpeas. Influencers and dietitians promote the benefits of eating beans and share various recipes for preparing canned beans. Making healthy snacks from canned chickpeas is convenient, and hence, the demand for canned chickpeas is growing, complementing the growth of the overall market.
Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are a great source of fiber and protein. Their mineral content puts them in a league of their own. Garbanzo beans are a smart choice if you’re worried about iron, with 2.4 milligrams (13%) per serving. These beige beauties have traveled from ancient Middle Eastern kitchens to trendy Western restaurants, proving their adaptability.
What’s particularly impressive about chickpeas is their ability to help regulate blood sugar levels. Many scientific studies show that beans and legumes, such as chickpeas and hummus — which is primarily made from chickpeas — may provide various health benefits ( … Chickpeas are particularly beneficial for reducing post-meal blood sugar and increasing insulin sensitivity compared to other high carb foods ( …
Lentils: The Ancient Speedsters
Lentils deserve recognition as the efficiency experts of the legume world. These little lens-shaped gems mightn’t look like much, but lentils are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can add to your plate. Packed with protein, fiber, and iron, they’re a powerhouse for energy and digestion. You’ll find lentil varieties like brown, green, red, and black, each with unique textures—perfect for soups, stews, or salads.
Try red lentils in creamy dals or firm green ones in hearty salads. Lentil recipes are endlessly adaptable, from spiced curries to veggie burgers, making them a staple for quick, healthy meals. Plus, they cook faster than most legumes, saving you time without skimping on nutrition. Their historical significance runs deep. Lentils are one of the earliest domesticated crops, seen in the diets of ancient Rome and Egypt.
The cooking convenience factor cannot be overstated when busy lifestyles demand quick solutions. Unlike their bean cousins that require overnight soaking, lentils go from bag to bowl in under an hour, making them the perfect weeknight warrior for health-conscious home cooks.
Black Beans: The Latin American Favorite
Black beans pack more than just visual appeal with their striking dark color. Black and dark red kidney beans are full of potassium, and chickpeas have lots of magnesium. Their rich, earthy flavor has made them indispensable in Latin American cuisine, from Cuban black beans and rice to Mexican refried beans.
They’re a staple in numerous cuisines, from Latin American dishes like black beans to Middle Eastern hummus made from chickpeas. This broad usage contributes to their widespread consumption. The fiber content in black beans deserves special mention. Just 1 cup (240 mL) of cooked black beans will give you 15 grams (g) of fiber, which is over half the recommended daily amount for adults.
What makes black beans particularly interesting is their antioxidant profile. The deep purple-black color comes from anthocyanins, the same compounds that give blueberries their superfood status, making black beans a nutritional double threat with both protein and antioxidant benefits.
Soybeans: The Protein Champions
Soybeans pack a serious nutritional punch, and you’ve probably encountered them in more forms than you realize—think tofu, tempeh, or even that soy milk in your morning coffee. With soybean varieties like black, yellow, and green, each offers unique flavors and textures. The soybean benefits are impressive: they’re rich in protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats.
The versatility of soybeans extends far beyond their basic form. They transform into countless products from edamame appetizers to plant-based meat alternatives. Plus, they’re packed with vitamins and minerals like iron and calcium. You’ll find soybeans versatile and nutrient-dense, making them a smart addition to your diet.
Perhaps most remarkably, soybeans contain all essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source – rare among plant foods. This quality has made them invaluable for vegetarians and vegans seeking protein equivalents to animal products.
Navy Beans: The Unsung Heroes
Several simple yet delicious ways to turn navy beans into satisfying meals make them a kitchen staple. You can boil them for soups, mash them into dips, or bake them into casseroles. Their mild flavor pairs well with herbs, garlic, and tomatoes, making them versatile across legume varieties.
Beyond their versatility in the kitchen, navy beans pack a powerhouse of nutrients that support your health in surprising ways. Their high nutrient density means you get fiber, protein, and essential vitamins like folate and iron in every bite. These health benefits include better digestion, thanks to their fiber content, and steady energy from their slow-digesting carbs.
Navy beans, also known as haricot beans, are a great source of fiber, B vitamins, and other minerals. One cup (182 grams) of cooked navy beans contains ( … Navy beans appear to help reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome, likely due to their high fiber content. Their connection to American culinary history runs deep, from Boston baked beans to hearty winter soups that sustained families through tough times.
Peas: The Sweet Surprise
You’ll love peas for their impressive nutritional benefits, like being packed with protein and fiber. There are several types of peas to investigate, from sweet garden peas to hearty split peas. You can also enjoy them in countless dishes, whether you’re tossing them into salads or blending them into soups.
Peas’ high quality protein, fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidant compounds contribute to health benefits like nourishing good gut bacteria and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels ( … Peas are a particularly good source of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin necessary for proper blood clotting and bone health ( … They are also fairly high in protein.
The protein quality in peas has sparked interest in the supplement industry. Much research has shown that pea protein, often added to foods or used as a supplement, may have benefits. Pea protein may help increase muscle size and strength when combined with high intensity interval training ( … However, whole peas offer benefits beyond isolated protein powders, providing fiber, vitamins, and minerals that supplements cannot match.
Kidney Beans: The Classic Red Beauties
Kidney beans are one of the most commonly consumed beans. Their distinctive shape and rich red color make them instantly recognizable in dishes from chili con carne to Indian rajma curry. One cup (177 grams) of cooked kidney beans contains ( … Foods high in fiber, such as kidney beans, can help slow the absorption of sugar into the blood and reduce blood sugar levels ( … Eating kidney beans may also help reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure.
The folate content in kidney beans makes them particularly valuable for specific populations. Finally, kidney beans are an excellent source of folate. Eating folate-rich foods is especially important for pregnant people, since this water-soluble vitamin is vital for fetal neurological development ( …
One fascinating study showed immediate cardiovascular benefits from kidney bean consumption. One small study of eight healthy adults found that eating 3/4 cup (133 grams) of red kidney beans led to significantly lower blood pressure 2 hours after consumption compared with the same amount of rice.
Pinto Beans: The Spotted Treasures
Pinto beans deserve credit for their role in comfort food across cultures. These speckled beauties become creamy when cooked, making them perfect for refried beans, hearty stews, and protein-packed dips. Finally, pintos pack a ton of copper. This mineral plays a role in creating energy, maintaining a healthy immune system, and producing skin pigment ( … Pinto beans may help reduce blood cholesterol and blood sugar while supporting gut health.
They can be eaten either whole or mashed. This versatility has made them a staple in Mexican and Southwestern American cuisine, where they transform from simple beans into complex, flavorful dishes that satisfy both nutritional needs and taste preferences.
Their copper content sets them apart nutritionally, playing crucial roles in energy metabolism and immune function that many people don’t get enough of in their regular diets. The research on pinto beans continues to show promise for various health benefits, though more human studies are needed to confirm all their potential advantages.
The Overlooked Champions: Winged Beans
Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) is one such underutilized legume. All parts of the plant, from the seeds and immature pods to the leaves, flowers and tuberous roots are edible. This remarkable plant offers something no other legume can match – complete edibility from top to bottom.
It is virtually the duplicate of soybean in terms of composition and nutritional value of the seed, because both contain a similar proportion of protein, oil, minerals, vitamins and essential amino acids (Amoo et al., 2011). Once processed, both have similar value of digestibility (National Research Council, 1981).The winged bean seed has a high protein content of 29–37%, and its amino acid composition is almost identical to soybean with methionine and cysteine being limiting amino acids (Okezie and Martin, 1980; Wyckoff e
Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) is a valuable legume due to the presence of soybean-equivalent nutrients. Early work identified that winged bean has favorable agronomic features suitable for cultivation in the tropics with high average yield, and foods prepared from winged bean serve as an effective measure to meet the protein demand of the consumer. The seed oil meets all the required edibility parameters and is comparable with any other good-quality edible oil on the market.
Hidden Gems: Bambara Groundnuts
The legumes, which include Vigna radiata (mung bean), Macrotyloma uniflorum (horse gram), Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (winged bean), and Vigna subterranean (Bambara groundnut), among others, possess genetic diversity and inherent benefits that have often gone unrecognized amidst the dominance of major legumes in global agriculture [2].
Bambara groundnuts showcase remarkable resilience in harsh environments where other crops fail. Bambara groundnut genotypes with dark-colored seeds have been observed to have a greater emergence rate than their light-colored counterparts under stress circumstances, most likely due to the presence of tannins, which are known to act as antioxidants [13].
Soetan and Adeola (33) researched to reveal the nutritional properties of different underutilized legumes which include Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean), Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) and sword bean (Canavalia gladiata). These researchers observed that these plants are rich in protein, fiber, fat, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron and magnesium. Their drought tolerance makes them invaluable for food security in arid regions where traditional crops struggle.
Sword Beans: The Giant Legumes
The tropical underutilized food legume, Canavalia gladiata Jacq., popularly known as Sword bean, belongs to the family Fabaceae, is widely spread in South India’s Eastern and Western Ghats and is also used as a fodder crop in Northern and Peninsular India [30]. In India, C. gladiata, is known by a number of names including sword bean, Badi Sem (Hindi), Mahasambi (Sanskrit), Sagapputampatti (Tamil), Tebi (Manipuri), Tamma (Telugu) [79] and so on.
The fruit and seeds are a source of nutrients that boost health. Seeds are rich in moisture, crude protein, crude lipid and crude fibre [80]. Mineral constituents that are present in C. gladiata include Na, K, Ca, P, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn and Mg [81]. These impressive legumes can grow up to three feet long, earning their name from their distinctive curved shape.
Underutilized legumes ranged in protein content from 41 to 45%. Several species of Bauhinia and Canavalia gladiata had greater protein content than soybean. In terms of amino acids, both Bauhinia and Delonix are enriched in diverse amino acids. Their protein content surpassing even the mighty soybean makes sword beans particularly intriguing for future food development.
