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Saturday, May 25, 2013 What are legumes? Legumes are the seeds
that grow inside pods. These seeds can be eaten fresh, sprouted,
dried, and ground into flour. Varieties include garbanzo beans
(chickpeas), lima beans, fava beans, black beans, kidney beans,
navy beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas,
split peas, cowpeas, and brown, red, or green lentils. Why
should I eat legumes? Legumes are loaded with nutrients that are
important in preventing heart disease, cancer, obesity, and
other chronic diseases. Nutritionists recommend several servings
of legumes per week because they are nutrient-dense. That means
they contain a lot of nutrients (such as protein, iron,
potassium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and fiber) in
relation to the calories. In other words, they are a good deal
for the amount of