Lentils & Legumes

Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, butter beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, and all other legumes are completely safe during pregnancy and should be actively encouraged. They are among the most nutritionally important foods to eat in pregnancy, particularly for women who eat little or no meat. Lentils and legumes provide: folate (essential in the first trimester for preventing neural tube defects, and important throughout), non-haem iron (particularly important as iron requirements rise significantly in pregnancy), plant-based protein, soluble fibre (helpful for managing constipation and blood sugar), potassium, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. Red lentils are one of the highest plant-based folate sources available and are easy to cook — they dissolve quickly into soups and dals without needing soaking. Dried kidney beans should be boiled vigorously for at least 10 minutes before the full cooking time to destroy lectins (compounds that cause digestive upset in raw or undercooked form) — tinned kidney beans have already been through this process and are safe directly from the tin. All other lentils and legumes are safe without pre-soaking, though soaking dried beans and draining the water before cooking does reduce the compounds that cause gas. Tinned and jarred legumes are equally nutritious and extremely convenient.