High-fiber Frozen Legumes

What are Legumes?

Legumes are a type of plant that produce seeds or pods that are commonly used as food. They include beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts, among others. Legumes are known for their high protein and fiber content, and are often used in vegetarian and vegan diets. For this post, we’ll be focusing specifically on frozen legumes that can find in the frozen aisle of your local grocery.

Nutritional benefits of frozen legumes

1. Higher Fiber Content per Calorie – Frozen foods can have higher fiber content per calorie than their non-frozen counterparts. This is because the frozen food is typically gathered and frozen at it’s most ripe time, preserving the food with a high amount of nutrients.^1,2

2. More Convenient – Frozen foods are often peeled and chopped in the freezing process, making the frozen food ready to be defrosted, heated, and consumed.

3. Lower Cost – Frozen foods are often cheaper than non-frozen foods.
4. Longer Shelf Life – Frozen foods can safely be frozen for months, while raw foods typically need to be consumed within a few days to weeks of purchase.

With this in mind, we have put together information on frozen legumes, creating a list of frozen legumes with greater than 5% fiber content per calorie.

List of high-fiber Frozen Legumes

Legumes with 5% or Greater Fiber Content per Calorie

1. Green Beans, cut, ⅔ cup – 3 grams of fiber in 25 calories³

2. Chickpeas, ⅔ cup – 16 grams of fiber in 140 calories⁴

3. Edamame
   1. Shelled, ½ cup – 8 grams of fiber in 90 calories⁵
   2. In Shell, ⅔ cup – 4 grams of fiber in 140 calories⁶

4. Green Peas, ½ cup – 5 grams of fiber in 70 calories⁷

5. Lima Beans, baby, ½ cup – 7 grams of fiber in 110 calories⁸

6. Lentils, Melodious Blend (Red and Green Lentils with Green Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes and Olive Oil), 1 cup – 11 grams of fiber in 200 calories⁹

7. Sugar Snap Peas, ¾ cup – 2 grams of fiber in 40 calories¹⁰

In addition to the list above, we also created a table, comparing the identified frozen legumes to their non-frozen counterparts. 

Frozen Legumes vs Non-frozen Legumes: Comparison Table

Of note, FROZEN GREEN BEANS, CHICKPEAS and EDAMAME have much higher fiber per calorie content than their non-frozen counterparts. 

Putting this together, FROZEN LEGUMES can be a great option, and we hope that this post helps you increase your legume consumption! As always, post us any additional tips or recs below!

Till next time,

Dr. Nic

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References

¹CNN. Health. Drayer, L. Why frozen fruit and veggies may be better for you than fresh. Last updated May 31, 2019. Available at https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/health/frozen-fruit-vegetables-drayer-food/index.html. Last accessed 2/2022.

²Health. Wellness, Nutrition. Sass, C. 5 Healthy reasons this nutritionist buys frozen fruits and veggies. Last updated on August 16, 2022. Available at https://www.health.com/nutrition/reasons-nutritionist-buys-frozen-fruits-veggies. Last accessed 2/2022.

³Great Value. Green Beans, Cut. Available at Walmart. https://tinyurl.com/yc6a4dvc. Last accessed 3/2023. Cost $0.08/ounce.

⁴Cascadian Farm, Chickpeas, Organic. Available on Instacart. https://tinyurl.com/42whjad5. Last accessed 3/2023. 

⁵Seapoint Farms, Edamame, Shelled Soybeans. Available at Walmart. https://tinyurl.com/bdzmfrz5. Last accessed 3/2023. Cost $0.21/ounce.

⁶365 by Whole Foods Market, Edamame In Shell, Organic. Available on Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/52u5t36r. Last accessed 3/2023. Cost $0.14/ounce.

⁷Great Value. Sweet Peas. Available at Walmart. https://tinyurl.com/8tacf2zc. Last accessed 3/2023. Cost $0.08/ounce.

⁸365 by Whole Foods Market, Lima Beans, Baby. Available on Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/53nddkw9. Last accessed 3/2023.

⁹Trader Joe’s, Melodious Blend. Available at Trader Joe’s. https://tinyurl.com/fx4b5rbe. Last accessed 3/2023. 

¹⁰Good & Gather, Sugar Snap Peas, Whole. Available at Target. https://tinyurl.com/4m9anh46. Last accessed 3/2023. Cost $0.10/ounce.