‘Bean’ thinking about shaking things up in the kitchen?
The Heart Foundation is encouraging more Australians to cook with lovely legumes in a new initiative called the ‘bean blitz’.
A new report by the foundation found that half of Australians lack confidence in the kitchen when cooking with the budget-friendly and highly nutritious food group.
Heart Foundation senior dietitian, Jemma O’Hanlon, said eating more legumes by adding them to existing meals was an excellent way to eat healthier.
“Try to integrate small amounts of whole, nutrient-rich foods such as legumes into your existing meals,” she said.
“This will help you to feel fuller longer, helping both your heart and your hip-pocket.”
The Heart Foundation said legumes are a great source of protein and fibre that are important for heart health.
They can be incorporated into your diet in a number of yummy ways.
“When it comes to including more legumes in your cooking, think outside the box. You can include beans, chickpeas or lentils in almost any recipe, even desserts.”
She suggests adding beans to a taco mix for some added protein, pop lentils into an ordinary spaghetti bolognese to bulk it up and almost any legume can be added to a soup to make things interesting.
The report also found that one in three people think it’s expensive to eat healthy food, but a 1 kilogram bag of lentils averages at about $4.
The Heart Foundation has various e-books and tasty recipes listed on their website with plenty of legume rich options.
