It's a special combination that makes them very filling during a meal, after a meal, and with low calories. It's a low CD (low calorie dense) food that can really help you control hunger and appetite.

Bottom line ... legumes are a wonderful weight loss / fat-burning food. It's one of the primary foods on the Slow Carb Diet.

Cool fact: No other food group has a more health-supportive mix of both protein and fiber.

For example, a single cup of black beans has nearly 15 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein. That's almost 40 - 50% of the way toward an ideal daily fiber intake. It's equal to 2 ounces of meat, which is close to a common 3 ounce portion. It's also close to a scoop of protein powder, which typically contains 20 - 30 grams of protein. That mix of protein fiber isn't found in fruit, vegetables, dairy, meats, or nuts! Pretty amazing.

What about the carb content? Don't worry. The carbs contained in beans are "slow carbs". Because they come packaged with a lot of fiber and protein, any blood sugar spike is moderated. The high fiber helps prevent blood sugar from rising after a meal. That said, if you are severely restricting carbs you'll need to account for the carb content; legumes are too high carb to be a part of a ketogenic diet.

What about gas? If that's a problem for you, the solution is a supplement called "Beano". You can find it at any health food store, and often at grocery stores.

List of Legumes:

Lentils
Black beans
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Pinto beans
Lima beans
Garbanzo beans
Dried peas

Health Details

Legumes have important health benefits for the digestive tract, blood sugar regulatory system, and the cardiovascular system. They provide outstanding support for blood sugar balance. This happens because both protein and fiber move through your digestive tract at a moderate pace, unlike plain sugars which move quickly.

Beans also have an impressive variety of phytonutrients -- both antioxidant and anti-infammatory. You may have been taught that brightly colored fruits and vegetables are best but that's an oversimplification. The fact is that the black, brown and white beans are just as good.