One of the main advantages of legumes and their high protein seeds (pulses) is their ease of growth and their ability to store for long periods of time. This gives leguminous plants a place in human nutrition that is not only important from a health perspective but also a practical perspective. Even tinned beans, which have an incredibly long shelf life, have been shown to possess significant health effects. Whilst legumes tend to be low in methionine, something that prevents them being complete proteins, they are generally high in protein and with a dietary source of methionine from grains, legumes can supply significant high quality protein. Nutritionally they are not as energy dense as meat and do not contain some of the other accessory nutrients, but in Western nations this is not a problem as generally too much meat is consumed. Legumes can therefore fill the gap of a meat-reduced diet without losing protein content and whilst obtaining other health effects, particularly in relation to protection from obesity.
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