An Essential List of Legumes

By: Helen Polaski

To start incorporating healthier foods in your diet, look no further than this list of legumes. Legumes are low in fat, high in fiber, and are an excellent source of protein. One serving, which is about three tablespoons, can actually provide you with about half the folate you need for an entire day. They're also high in vitamin B and rich in antioxidants.

Beans and grains are considered legumes, as are seed pods. Legumes are edible seeds that come in two types: immature, which we eat straight from the garden when we eat items such as green beans and peas, and mature, which we eat when we eat dried or fresh beans.

List of Commonly Used Legumes

asparagus bean or snake bean
asparagus pea
baby lima bean
black bean
black turtle bean
Boston bean
Boston navy bean
broad bean
cannellini bean
chickpeas
chili bean
coco bean
cranberry bean
Egyptian bean
Egyptian white broad bean
English bean
fava bean
fava-coceira
field pea
French green beans
frijo bola roja
frijole negro
great Northern bean
green beans
green and yellow peas

kidney beans
lima bean
Madagascar bean
Mexican black bean
Mexican red bean
molasses face bean
mung bean
mung pea
mungo bean
navy bean
pea bean
Peruvian bean
pinto bean
red bean
red eye bean
red kidney bean
rice bean
runner bean
scarlet runner bean
small red bean
small white bean
soy bean or soybean
wax bean
white kidney bean
white pea bean

Tips for Using Legumes

The list is not complete, but you can use it to start making substitutions so that your diet reflects more legumes and less fatty, less-nutritious food sources. Consider adding or substituting legumes in spaghetti sauce, chili or rice dishes, and add more beans to the table as side dishes.

While beans that have been canned tend to raise blood pressure faster than beans that have been processed fresh or taken straight from the garden, there is always a way to get around all the salt. Always purchase canned legumes that have had no salt added, and always rinse canned legumes before using them.