The Major Health Benefits of Lupin Bean
Anyone looking for a low glycemic index ingredient or an alternative to rice or couscous for their meals might like to try lupin bean. This food offers a filling, tasty side dish or staple for anyone, but especially for those following vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free, or grain-free diets. It’s quick and easy to cook and serve up with a meal, and it adds nutrition to your plate that contributes to good health. Let’s take a look at some lupin bean health benefits.
What is Lupin Bean?
If you’re not familiar with this bean, you're not alone. So let's explore what it's all about. Lupin is a legume that’s similar to chickpeas and lentils. You can also purchase it in a ground form that makes it quick and easy to cook and use, similar to a side of rice. The plant is a sustainable crop to grow and is seen as one of the foods that can take us into the future due to its sustainability and its plant-based nutritional value.
Major Lupin Bean Health Benefits
Lupin bean has tended to be underused and under-recognized compared to its other legume counterparts, even those in the same family: lentils and chickpeas. But that pattern is changing, as we’re learning more about lupin beans and their potential within the future of food sustainability. As we take a closer look at lupin beans, we see all of the health value they contain. But before you start eating them with gusto, keep in mind that it’s recommended to check with a medical professional before changing your diet and that you should research the pros and cons of foods before consuming them. Also, it's always best to include a healthy food within a balanced diet rather than focusing on its benefits alone.
These are some of the key benefits of this wonderful legume:
- Provides good nutrition for a plant-based diet: If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or looking to eat more plant-based foods for a sustainable future, lupin bean is a great choice. It’s being recognized for its sustainability as a crop, so it’s a food choice you can feel good about. Also, Science Direct research explains that it has one of the highest legume protein levels and a great amino acid profile, which makes it a good replacement for animal proteins.
- Has great nutrients: Lupin bean offers high protein, high non-digestible carbs, and plenty of fiber. In addition, a study of this type of bean published in the journal Nutrients found that it contains additional nutrients and compounds that promote health in the body, including flavonoids and minerals. It’s also low in oil content. Its nutritional profile makes it a great choice within a healthy diet. While lupin beans can include alkaloids that make them bitter, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension explains that specially bred sweet or alkaloid-free versions can remove that aspect. Carrington Farms specially- bred sweet ground lupin bean contains 14g of protein, 13g of fiber, iron, and potassium in every serving. Plus, it’s low in fat, sodium, and sugar, and has no cholesterol.
- Great for specialty diets: We already mentioned that lupin bean is ideal for plant-based diets such as vegetarian or vegan lifestyles. In addition, it’s perfect for people looking for gluten-free or grain-free choices because it gives a filling, fiber-filled option similar to grain but made of legume instead. This means you can use this bean in place of oats or other grains in a variety of recipes while getting more fiber and protein than many grains contain. It’s ideal as a breading for meats and other foods in place of grain-based breading choices. And it's low on the glycemic index, making it a healthy choice for people with diabetes or others focused on the GI of foods.
- Easy to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle: You can use lupin bean in many ways, making it easy and convenient to have a healthier diet. This bean can be added to salad, made into veggie burger patties, tacos, used in baking, and incorporated into meals and snacks in other creative ways. Plus, you’ll find our Carrington Farms ground lupin bean easy to cook up in a snap since it only takes three minutes!
Shop Carrington Farms Ground Lupin Bean
Ready to try lupin bean in your recipes? We carry a Carrington Farms ground lupin bean that makes an excellent side dish, base for a meal, or grain-free breading. It’s non-GMO and ready in three quick minutes, so you can easily throw together a quick meal. It’s similar to cooking quick rice, quinoa, or couscous but with more health value and without any gluten or grain. Head over to our online store to find our ground lupin beans, try out some of our tasty lupin bean recipes, and discover lupin bean health benefits for yourself.