Sabrina Del Fico Growing and eating more legumes will save us! Scientists are calling for more production of lentils and beans in Europe to reduce the environmental impact of intensive farming
This is a healthier and sustainable way of farming in Europe, as research made available in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems has demonstrated. Introducing legumes to add variety to routine crop rotations (barley, wheat, canola) brings significant benefits to the environment, human health, and animal health in the form of improved-quality nutrition.
This strategy can really contribute to the specific goals of the European Union Green Deal Farm to Fork, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pesticide use, and synthetic fertilizers,” states Marcela Porto Costa from Bangor University, lead author of the research. “For example, in Scotland, we demonstrated that the integration of legumes in crop rotation reduced external nitrogen demand by almost half, without compromising food production for human consumption.”.
The nutritional and environmental benefits of legumes
Unlike other vegetables, legumes have a unique benefit in their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, which is needed for growth. Nutritionally, legumes are even one of the healthiest vegetables, providing the body with fiber, protein, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins. Shame on all these obvious advantages notwithstanding, legumes are still badly sown throughout Europe: a paltry 1.5% of the arable lands of Europe are occupied by legumes, as opposed to 14.5% globally.
Dr. David Styles, the study coordinator, assures: “Our findings lend support to the evidence that a shift toward a healthier diet with more legumes can improve environmental sustainability. Legumes give a more balanced supply of carbohydrate, fibre, and protein than grains, and thus help to improve the nutritional value of what we eat.”
These results are significant and emphasize the need to consider the entire system (multi-cropping, farm to plate) when designing interventions for building a more sustainable food system so that we can eat better with less environmental impact.
Health benefits of legumes
The dietary properties of legumes are exceptional. Legumes are an abundance of plant protein, which can serve as a renewable alternative for animal protein. Legumes are 20-25% protein per serving, and hence are particularly helpful to vegetarians and vegans but not solely to them.
The high fiber content in legumes provides a number of health advantages: it induces satiety, ensures stable blood sugar levels, and maintains gut health. Soluble fibers, especially, reduce cholesterol levels, which aids in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Legumes are also high in minerals that are essential like iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Legumes are low on the glycemic index and hence are especially suitable for people who have to regulate the blood sugar level, i.e., diabetics.
