Whether you eat vegan often or a whole fooder looking to stock up on a high-protein staple, you’ve likely become familiar with chickpeas, lentils, and all the legumes in between. And as with any ingredient in heavy recycling, this legume can get stale quickly. Enter: lupine beans (aka lupine beans).
About the same size as a bean, this yellow legume is a nutritional powerhouse with nearly twice the amount of protein as chickpeas. Sound familiar? Maybe it’s because supermarkets are starting to stock vegan snacks that feature the goodness of lupini beans—and honestly, it’s about time.
Here’s the lowdown on all the types of lupine beans, so you’ll know what they are, why they’re popping up in more packaged foods, and whether they’re healthy.
What are Lupini pills?
Lupini or beans are a type of legume that comes from the flowering plant lupine, which belongs to the same food family as peas, chickpeas, and lentils. “It is commonly eaten in Mediterranean (particularly Italy, Spain, and Portugal) and Latin American cuisines,” he says. Ginger Holten, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Because of their bitter taste (the result of natural chemicals called alkaloids), lupine beans are often soaked in brine, pickled, and then eaten as a snack or as part of an appetizer—though they’re also a welcome addition to salads, pasta dishes, or as a dip.
“It also has a thick, edible rind,” he adds. Alyssa LaVey, MS, RD, CDNHe is a Registered Dietitian and Owner Alyssa Lavie Nutrition and Wellness LLC. Although the skin may be tough to chew, it is thinner than an edamame pod and completely edible. But if you don’t like chewing on the skin, you can easily pull out the seeds with your teeth and discard the skin, according to LaVey.
Lupini Beans Nutrition Facts
Lupine beans are a star among the legume family, containing about a third more protein per square inch than many other beans and legumes. In addition, they practically do not contain starch, so they will not spike your blood sugar, which means they will prevent hunger.
The following is the nutritional profile for 100 grams of Lupini Beans Cooked Unsalted, according to: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
- 119 calories
- 16 grams of protein
- 3 grams of fat
- 10 grams of carbohydrates
- 3 grams of fiber
Health benefits of lupini beans
You may have noted that high protein count in the nutrition breakdown of lupine beans. They’re an amazing plant-based protein source, which means they’re a must-have if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. But that’s not all that little Baul contains in his resume:
Rich in beneficial vitamins
Lupine beans are rich in nutrients such as energy-boosting and bone-strengthening B vitamins, phosphorous and calcium. Also on that list? Manganese (necessary for blood clotting), magnesium (aids in muscle contraction), iron (essential for growth and development), and anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Promote gut health
These little legumes can also help create a happy gut. Test tube studies They discovered that the fiber in lupine beans promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria such as bifidobacteria, which are commonly found in probiotics and have been linked to Immune and digestive system health. Lupine beans also contain a high level of prebiotic fiber, which contributes to the development of healthy intestinal probiotics.
May promote heart health
For a little legume, these guys pack a ton of goodness into a small, leather-covered package. Research suggests eating legumes As part of a healthy diet it can offer some serious health benefits, such as reduced risk of diabetes (something the keto diet may also be able to do), high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Not only is fiber essential for holding things in, gurgling, and moving (think: digestion), but it also has the power to Preventing cardiovascular disease. So it’s no surprise that lupine beans—which contain about 3 grams of fiber (25 percent of the daily recommendation) per 100 grams—have been linked to heart health. A study of more than 100 participants found that those who ate foods rich in lupine over a 12-month period experienced Reduction of Blood pressurewhich can help ward off heart disease.
May lower cholesterol
Cholesterol levels also play an important role in your heart health and (good news!) research suggests Lupine seeds may lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels. The same study found that incorporating legumes such as lupine beans into your diet can also reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Possible dangers of lupine pills
A warning first: Raw lupine beans are toxic to ingest due to the presence of bitter alkaloids, so be careful if you buy raw beans to prepare yourself.
Other than that, there are two minor downsides to lupine beans. “Because they are so commonly soaked in salt, they can be high in sodium,” says Hultin. For example, 100 grams of pickle contains between 200 milligrams and 900 milligrams of sodium (about 8 to 40 percent of the sodium content). recommended daily value), according to the US Department of Agriculture.
The other negative: Lupine is a legume similar to peanuts, so it may cause similar allergic reactions in those allergic to peanuts, according to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, an allergy to soy or other beans and legumes can be associated with an allergy to lupine beans.
How to buy and eat lupini beans
At the store, you’ll likely find lupine beans pickled in jars, but you may also see the dried variety. If you don’t like brine and opt for dry beans instead, it’s important to soak and wash lupin beans properly before cooking, Lavy notes.
She adds, “They come in two varieties: bitter and sweet. The bitter variety must be soaked, washed, and boiled several times over the course of a few days to remove the bitter alkaloids, while the sweet variety requires less rinsing and soaking.” . To reiterate, this process is important to ensure that the beans are not toxic.
“Besides being served salted, they can also be ground into flour and used in a variety of dishes,” adds Holten. For example, if you buy them already cooked, add them to a salad for a savory topping, or mix them into a grain bowl.
Thanks to the richness of vegetable protein in beans, they can be used to add protein to practically any dish.
Add it to the salads. Lupini beans can serve as the protein source for any lettuce or bean salad. If you buy a pickle, add it to a large green salad with other favorite appetizer leaves, such as sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers.
Mix with roasted vegetables. If you’re looking for an easy, meat-free meal, roast a tray of your favorite veggies and pair them with cooked lupin beans. Drizzle with your favorite dressing for an easy weeknight meal.
Add to pasta. Lupini beans can add texture and protein to a pasta dish. Combine cooked pasta with baked beans, healthy vegetables (like roasted broccoli), and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice for a simple dish. (If that sounds delicious to you, check out these creative pasta recipes featuring other legumes.)
Mash it into a dip. Beans and legumes are used as the base for many hearty sauces—chickpeas, anyone? Lupini beans have a nutty flavor and texture that blends into a protein-packed dip. Place some cooked lupin beans in a food processor with the lemon, garlic, olive oil, and salt and blend until smooth. Foam the dip on some no-bake crackers for a filling snack.
Lupini Bean Products
The newly available packaged lupine snacks allow you to look beyond traditional pickle varieties and opt for options soaked in delicious flavors or processed into bars or faux grains. Are you ready to jump on the bean bandwagon? Here are some expert-approved favorites:
For a snack: I crave beans (Buy it, $25 for 4, amazon.com) is a great on-the-go snack that doesn’t require this days-long prep process. “Lupin beans are ready-to-eat and come in a variety of delicious flavours,” says LaVey. “It also doesn’t need to be refrigerated until after the package has been opened, which makes it a great travel snack,” she adds. The only downside is that a 25-grain serving contains more than 400 mg of sodium, which is more sodium than you’d find in a snack-sized bag of pretzels. If you’re watching your salt intake, this may not be the snack for you, warns LaVey. But if your diet is full of unprocessed, low-sodium foods, it’s probably a good idea to have brami beans in the mix, she says.
For the side dish: Choose Carrington Farms Lupine Ground Beans (Buy It, $20, carringtonfarms.com) as a new alternative to cereal. This microwavable ground lupine bean is an ideal choice for rice, couscous, or even cauliflower rice. Just mix it with water and microwave for three minutes.
For a post-workout snack: Tired of those boring post-workout protein bars you usually buy? Try Wolves (Buy it, $35 for 12, getlupii.com), lupine bean-based bars with a similar amount of protein (9 Grams) to other protein bars, such as RX and CLIF Bars. Lupii bars come in interesting flavors like almond butter, cinnamon, raisin, tahini, lemon, and cranberry, and each variety contains just six simple ingredients.
For an exact replacement: Manufacturers have begun making lupini bean flour, which is naturally gluten-free and similar in taste to whole wheat flour. Lupini flour is like Miracle Flour Healthy Provisions (Buy It, $16, amazon.com) has an impressive nutritional profile with 1 gram of net carbs, 11 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber per serving. Therefore, it is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates compared to gluten-free flour made from nuts, coconut, rice or cassava. Try lupine flour to add a protein boost to baked goods like bread, muffins, pancakes, and more.
