Beans, peas and lentils are protein-rich foods Meat can be a great source proteins, but beans, peas and lentils that is legumes are at the center of new proposed changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
In a report published this week by an advisory committee of the US Department of Agriculture, experts suggest that protein-rich legumes are the perfect substitute for red or processed meat. And they came to this conclusion after analyzing scientific evidence on the matter.
If adopted, the new guidelines would emphasize plant-based proteins and also encourage people to eat more whole grains and less sugary drinks, salt and processed foods.
“Dietary patterns containing more beans, peas and lentils are associated with beneficial health outcomes,” the report states.
At the same time, dietary patterns with a higher intake of red and processed meats are associated with negative health effects, while dietary patterns with a higher intake of fish and seafood are associated with beneficial health effects, it is pointed out.
Why legumes?
“There is strong evidence that a dietary pattern that is rich in beans, peas and lentils is associated with a lower risk of chronic disease,” Angela Odoms-Young, vice chair of the advisory committee and professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University, told NBC News .
Under the existing dietary guidelines, this trio of vegetables is categorized under both vegetables and protein foods, but the panel recommended that they be removed from the vegetable group and placed at the top of the list of protein foods. Why? To encourage people to eat more plant proteins.
The updated guidelines take into account numerous published studies on the link between a meat-based diet and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and cutting back on meat and increasing consumption of legumes could help reverse that trend, Odoms-Young said.
That doesn’t mean you can’t eat animal protein, but that you can have a diet with more plant protein, he explained.
The report also recommends that people reduce sugary drinks and salt and increase their consumption of whole grains to 50% of their total grain intake.
The report has been submitted for review and consultation to the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services. If approved, the new guidelines will be in force from next year and until 2030.