Everyone's Health

Real food, beans and grains

When beans team with grains, there are great gains in flavor and nutrition

Janet Fletcher

Greek chickpeas with rice is flavored with Aleppo pepper, wine, tomatoes, cinnamon and feta.

The more we learn about healthy diets, the smarter our ancestors get. They cooked beans and lentils and tofu, not 16-ounce steaks, for protein. They ate dark bread and porridge for breakfast, not sugary cereal.

Long before anyone had heard of the glycemic index or government food pyramids, they were putting beans and grains together in some of the most delectable dishes imaginable.

Whole grains appear to protect us against a range of diseases, nutrition researchers say. In the carbohydrate realm, they are the heroes. And dried beans provide the ultimate “protein package,” in nutritionist lingo, supplying protein without saturated fat.

Beans lack an essential amino acid that grains have, and vice versa, but the two together provide complete protein – hence the pairing of rice and beans in many cultures. So it follows that bean-plus-grain dishes deliver a hefty dose of what's good for us, and some remarkably good eating as well.

The kitchens of Italy, Greece, Turkey and the countries of the Middle East are rich sources of these recipes, many based on farro, cracked wheat or bulgur (cracked wheat that has been precooked and dried) mixed with chickpeas, split peas or lentils.

Stews, pilafs and soups in these countries often incorporate both beans and whole grains. Turkish bulgur and chickpea pilaf; Tuscan farro and bean soup; and the Lebanese makhlootah, a soup of beans, lentils, chickpeas, bulgur and rice, are just a few of the many happy marriages.

The Mexican table, with its reliance on dried beans and tortillas made from whole corn, also provides inspiration to health-conscious diners. A savory pot of pinto or black beans with a steaming stack of corn tortillas would get high marks from any nutritionist, especially if you replace the traditional lard in the beans with olive oil and serve a salad alongside.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans included a specific whole grain recommendation for the first time. “Make half your grains whole” is the agency's new catch phrase; more precisely, the guidelines advise consuming at least 3 ounces of whole-grain foods every day.

“The fact that it's an explicit part of the guidelines is a good step in the right direction,” says Dr. Lawrence Kushi, associate director of epidemiology with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. A mounting body of research shows an inverse relationship between whole-grain consumption and the risk of developing many serious diseases.

Just as nutrition researchers now realize that some carbohydrates are better than others – and that some, namely whole grains, are clearly beneficial – they argue that some protein sources top others.

While our bodies make no distinction between animal and plant protein, nutritionists believe we need to look at the whole package – the nutrients that ride along with the protein.

Red meat, for example, comes with undesirable saturated fat. Legumes offer less protein but no fat or cholesterol and lots of folate and fiber.

The USDA dietary guidelines recommend consuming legumes several times a week, and studies suggest that eating them regularly can lower the risk of prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

The notion that eating beans, like eating oat bran, can lower serum cholesterol “has been pretty consistently demonstrated,” says Kushi.

You don't have to know that they're good for you to appreciate the accompanying dishes. These recipes turn beans and grains into meals you'll eat for pleasure, not for prevention.

See "Greek chickpeas with rice" for a great main dish, and "Turkish Bulgur and Lentil Pilaf" and Clay-Pot Pinto Beans With Corn Tortillas for another healthy maindish and for a great "Black bean with rice soup"

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