Learn why legumes are important to a healthy diet.

Nutritionally speaking, legumes are important to a healthy diet. Including more legumes in your meal planning is a way to get more fiber, especially soluble fiber. Substituting legumes for meat in a meal at least once per week will reduce the amount of fat and saturated fat you consume, too.

Several varieties of legumes are available precooked and canned. Using canned legumes in meals is easy. By rinsing canned legumes well before cooking, you can reduce their sodium content.

Many people prefer to start from scratch using uncooked legumes instead of canned ones. As with whole grains, you can cook large batches of legumes and then freeze them for up to three months; thaw in the refrigerator and use cold in salads, or hot in soups and side dishes.