Boost your Beans
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Last time, we talked about five of the many health benefits of beans.
However, I’ve noticed that many of my patients hardly eat legumes at all. So, let’s talk about how to increase your intake of beans.
There are two reasons why you might not be eating enough beans. Either you can’t digest beans, or you simply aren’t accustomed to including them in your meal plans. For the majority of people I see, it’s the second reason. You might be used to a diet based on animal protein, vegetables, and a starch such as potatoes, rice or pasta. Beans don’t really fit into your concept of a proper meal.
If you have difficulty digesting beans and lentils, make sure you soak them overnight and discard the soak water. Cook them thoroughly, using digestive herbs and spices such as turmeric and cumin or oregano, sage and thyme.
If you still get gassy from beans, this tells us that you probably have visham agni, or irregular digestive fire. It’s time for a visit to an Ayurvedic practitioner to improve your digestion. Once agni is functioning better, we can try slowly introducing beans and lentils.
If beans aren’t a part of your food culture, it’s best to make gradual changes. Mung beans are the best and easiest to digest of all the beans, especially split yellow mung dal. So, begin by making kichari once a week. Kichari is an easy-to-make one pot dish that you can eat for breakfast or a light supper. Visit our website for some great kichari recipes.
Once you have got a kichari habit, try making dal. You can bring in a greater variety of legumes, such as urad dal, chana dal and red lentils. There are some great chickpea dishes on the website as well.
Next, try soups with a bean base. It’s ideal to plan ahead and soak your soup beans overnight, but in a pinch, you can use organic canned beans. Soup is another wonderful one-pot meal. There are also bean snacks you can enjoy, such as humus or cannellini bean pâte.
Keep gradually adding legumes into your diet until you’re having a portion of legumes each day. Not only are they rich in health benefits, they are also delicious.
Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.
Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!
