I’m closely reading The Path to Longevity by Luigi Fontana. Like Eat Like the Animals which I featured before, it has all you need to know about food, keeping good health and staying alive (and I mean ALIVE) for longer!

In a section titled “Legumes: Love them and they will love you back”, he says that legumes (i.e., beans or pulses like chickpeas, lentils, and fava/soy/black beans) are:

“ … an excellent source of healthy protein, carbohydrates and fibre and they are loaded with myriad vitamins and bioactive molecules. They also provide B Vitamins, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and phosphorous.

“ … legumes do not raise blood glucose and insulin levels as much as other foods with a similar calorie content.

“In a three-month clinical trial, patients with Type 2 diabetes who increased their legume intake by at least one cup a day experienced a much greater reduction in blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure than those who consumed whole-wheat products.”

(Fontana, L. (2020). “The Path to Longevity”, p.113. Hardie Grant Books: Melbourne.)

Surprised? I was. Since reading that chapter, I’ve created many dishes using chickpeas and butter beans; I now make my own baked beans – especially since the sugar in the canned variety has been increasing exponentially! Fontana helpfully includes suggestions on how he cooks his favourite beans and legumes. It’s an excellent way to get you interested in making these superfoods a part of your diet. Now get going!

It was also interesting to read that protein in beans are incomplete – with the one exception of soya beans.

” … the quality of soy protein is much higher than that of all the other beans and very similar to animal protein. Zen Buddhist monks use tofu as their main substitute for meat and fish.”

(Fontana, p.117)

How good that tofu was a staple and one of our very favourite side dishes in Singapore! We pan-fried it with garlic and ginger, topped with either Hoisin or Tamari soy sauce. Together with noodles, rice and stir-fried Chinese vegetables, it was a delicious meal in itself. Fontana prefers to grill tofu in thin slices, with olive oil and a few drops of soy sauce. 

So, tofu-sceptics, I suggest you try these recipes! You’ll find many tofu varieties in supermarkets and at Asian food stores. 

The “plant food” fad has released “flavoured” and spiced-up brands of tofu, including what I think are totally unhealthy tofu-inspired desserts. Unfortunately, they have far too many additives and not what you should be eating at any time – so be wary. It’s much healthier to buy plain tofu and put in your own ingredients. You can do without the unpleasant aftertaste of flavour enhancers. 

Now, we all know the one unpleasant effect legumes have: GAS, or FLATULENCE. But this may not be a huge cause for concern:

“It is true that legumes more than other foods tend to make us produce some extra gas … which in some people may cause bloating. Producing gas is a sign that our gut and microbiome are healthy and working well.”

(Fontana, p.114)

Fontana suggests we introduce legumes in our diet gradually, to minimise this problem. But I have a better solution, and IT WORKS!

I believe adding meat protein to plant-based food causes fermentation – creating stomach gas. Having potatoes or rice with your dish of beans instead of wheat-based food like pasta or bread is also much easier on your gut. And please: no soft drinks with your meal; they absolutely disrupt digestion whatever you eat. 

I frequently look back at my life in Singapore … Dad got fruits and veg at open markets, live-in cooks dutifully served our meals, and eating out was cheap and clean at hawker foodstalls. Did I even need to know how to cook? 

No surprise then, that the kitchen was my nemesis when I married at 31. That was 42 years ago. 

Now, I simply love kitchens. Take me to one and if your pantry, fridge and spice racks are well-stocked (with healthy stuff), I’ll cook you a dish. So, Dad – you would’ve scoffed at eating beans … but just look at my chickpea curry!!