Legumes and common beans in sustainable diets: nutritional quality, environmental benefits, spread and use in food preparations

• DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1385232
• Publication Date: 2024-05-06T13:49:42Z
• Authors: Silvia Lisciani; Stefania Marconi; Cinzia Le Donne; Emanuela Camilli; Altero Aguzzi; Paolo Gabrielli; Loretta Gambelli; Karl Kunert; Diana Marais; Barend Juan Vorster; Katherine Alvarad...; Emmanuelle Reboul; Eleonora Cominelli; Chiara Preite; Francesca Sparvoli; Alessia Losa; Tea Sala; Anna-Maria Botha; Marika Ferrari
• Keywords: Scarcity; Consumption

In recent decades, scarcity of available resources, population growth and the widening in consumption processed foods animal origin have made current food system unsustainable. High-income countries shifted towards patterns which is causing an increasingly process environmental degradation depletion natural with increased incidence malnutrition due to excess (obesity non-communicable disease) chronic deprivation. An urgent challenge is, therefore, move more healthy sustainable eating choices reorientating production distribution obtain a human planetary health benefit. this regard, legumes represent less expensive source nutrients for low-income countries, healthier option than animal-based proteins developed countries. Although are basis many traditional dishes worldwide, years they also been used formulation new products, their still scarce. Common beans, among most consumed pulses focus studies boost nutritional properties, find strategies facilitate cultivation under biotic/abiotic stress, increase yield, reduce antinutrients contents rise micronutrient level. The versatility beans could be key consumption, as it allows include them vast range preparations, create formulations reinvent legume-based recipes optimal characteristics.