Brilliant Beans

Today, let’s take a look at just one of many reasons why you should include beans, dals and lentils in your diet on a daily basis.

A large and important Japanese study, the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study, indicates that the more fibre you eat, the lower your chance of developing disabling dementia. And this is particularly true of soluble fibre, such as occurs in beans and lentils.

In other words, beans are best for your brain health! This may be related to the gut-brain axis. Soluble fibre is a prebiotic food and is important in maintaining a healthy microbiome. In Ayurvedic terms, we would put it this way—agni, the digestive fire, is the root of health. Balance your agni and you will live longer and have sharper cognition. In addition, soluble fibre helps normalize blood sugar, thus promoting brain health, and also helps lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and raise HDL or good cholesterol. Since LDL cholesterol can clog our arteries, it stands to reason that keeping cholesterol in balance is helpful in terms of blood supply to the brain.

In the Ayurvedic diet, we have kichari, dal or some type of bean daily, pretty much at every meal. And Charak says that mung beans should be a key feature of daily diet for everyone. As usual, the latest studies prove Charak right.

As you incorporate more legumes or pulses into your diet, be sure to soak the bigger beans overnight, for best digestibility. Legumes can be challenging for vata, but we can usually work around that by overnight soaking, thorough cooking and by using spices and herbs that calm vata and promote digestion. The best legumes for vata are mung beans, split yellow mung dal, urad dal, red lentils and adzuki beans. You can also sprout mung beans—not to make the type of beansprouts you get at the Asian market, but just until the beans have a small sprout and are tender. Sprouted mung beans can be added to salads or tossed in some ginger, turmeric and cumin for a light breakfast.

So how can you restructure your diet to include more legumes?

First, let’s look at bringing legumes into breakfast. Mung dal kichari makes a great breakfast or brunch. You could also try a Middle Eastern breakfast of humus, pita bread and salad, especially in warmer weather.   A South Indian breakfast of idali or dosa incorporates urad dal, made more digestible by the overnight fermentation process. Idalis and dosas are also usually served with sambar, a toor dal soup. And, from closer to home, a bean and cheese breakfast burrito might also a be a healthy option.

For lunch, try a typical Indian lunch of rice, dal and vegetables, or kichari and vegetables. Chole, a curry made from whole chickpeas, is an option too. For variety, try a New Mexican, Mexican or Colombian-type menu of beans, corn and squash, or any of the breakfast items items listed above. You can also try some soul food, a nice blackeye pea stew. 

For lunch, dinner or a lighter supper, you could have red lentil soup, brown lentil soup, minestrone with beans, pasta and vegetables, squash and bean soup—the choices are endless. In some recipes, I enjoy the taste and texture of well-cooked whole beans, in others I blend cannellini beans and vegetables together for a smooth and creamy effect. It takes some planning ahead to soak the beans, so I also stock cans of organic beans so I can whip something up quickly when I haven’t planned ahead. Confessions!

So keep your brain healthy, enjoy your legumes and remember—Ayurveda’s ancient teachings and lifeways are being proven right, again and again.

 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!