If you’re looking for a substitute for meat but don’t want to lose out on the health benefits, you may want to give beans a try.
According to a recent study, dubbed the BeanMan study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, people who partially substituted red and processed meat with pea- and fava bean-based food products still had healthy amounts of amino acids and no negative effects on their bone metabolism, two common results of meat-free diets.
In the study, 102 Finnish men participated, with one group of men consuming 760 grams of red and processed meat per week, which amounted to 25% of their total protein intake.
The other group consumed diets of mainly peas and fava beans, making up 20% of their total protein intake, while the remaining 5% was made up of red and processed meat.
The researchers shared that throughout the study, neither group had any significant differences between them when it came to bone formation or resorption, levels of calcium or vitamin D, or essential amino acid and protein intake.
Professor Suvi Itkonen, from the Agriculture and Forestry department at the University of Helsinki, where the study was conducted, shared in a statement that the reduction in red meat consumption could have major impacts outside of our daily health.
“Reducing red meat consumption is extremely important in terms of environmental impact,” Itkonen shared.
With plant-based diets becoming more popular, the study shows that everyday needs can be fulfilled elsewhere, not solely through dairy products.
“In this study, the subjects consumed dairy products as in their habitual diets, thus their calcium and vitamin D intakes were unchanged. However, in terms of bone health, it is important to bear in mind that if one reduces the amount of dairy in the diet, it is necessary to ensure the intake of calcium and vitamin D from other sources. These sources can be plant-based beverages and yogurt-like products fortified with those nutrients or, when necessary, dietary supplements,” Itkonen said.
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