Overview
- New analysis attributes more than 9,000 avoidable premature deaths a year in the UK to diets low in beans.
- Two-thirds of people eat fewer than one portion weekly, with half of children’s and over a third of adults’ bean intake coming from baked beans.
- Beans provide protein, fibre, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc, and include lysine that supports calcium absorption and collagen production.
- The report finds beans average 4.5 times cheaper per 100g than many plant-based meat substitutes and have a smaller carbon footprint with nitrogen-fixing benefits for soil.
- With 95% of bean consumption occurring at home, the report urges restaurants to expand legume options and cites support from the British Heart Foundation, World Cancer Research Fund, Diabetes UK and chef Jamie Oliver.