Vegetables vs. Legumes, Fully Explained

By Erin Marissa Russell

Most gardeners ( and people in cosmopolitan ) recognize what vegetables are , and most of us also recognize that beans are legume , but what is the difference between vegetables and legume ? Are n’t bean vegetables , too ? What build a veg a vegetable and a legume a legume , anyway ? We ’ve got the answers for you right here . The short result is that vegetables can be any comestible part of the plant in general , but legume are the edible seed constituent only of a industrial plant , either dried or bracing , such as pea or lentil . Keep reading for a more elaborated explanation !

Vegetables Versus Legumes: Definitions

Before we can really get into the similarities and difference of opinion between vegetables and legumes , we require to make out exactly what these two words mean . When it comes down to it , the definitions of these two categories and the conflict between them are somewhat uncomplicated .

Legumes in a nutshell

There are over 20,000 species of legumes , making them the the third largest family of florescence plant life . A legume refers to any industrial plant from the mob fabaceae . Beans are all legumes , but not all legume are bean plant . There are 5 types of legumes : soybeans , impulse , fresh pea , bean , and peanut .

Here is a summing up of the most common legumes used in cookery or for eating raw :

legume have high nutritional calibre and use of legume bring with it many wellness benefits . Pound for pound their nutritional value is one and only and they are an indispensable part of a intelligent dieting . They are a mainstay in any flora - based diet and are often used as a meat substitute in vegan diets . They are an cheap source of vitamins , protein and complex carbohydrates and have a gamey fiber message . As a matter of fact , some leguminous plant such as soybeans are complete proteins , meaning they have all the of the essence amino group dose , which is a rare discovery in the plant world . Fava beans have the high protein content with 26.1 g of protein . Legumes , especially red beans and kidney beans have good antioxidant properties .

leguminous plant are low in fat and have no Na or cholesterol . They also have a low glycemic index meaning they have little outcome on blood sugar . Legume phthisis as part of a balanced diet can help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease , but In clinical trials it has been shown that eat one cupful of legumes every sidereal day can aid with weighting loss , decrease cholesterin levels , and lower pedigree pressure .

One more affair gardeners should know about legumes is that they deposit nitrogen in the soil , nominate it more fertile ( which is whatmakes them such an fantabulous companion plantfor many vegetables ) .

It does get perplexing attempt to break the veg category down into all the different types , with the substantial amount of overlap between groups and intellectual nourishment that are veg on the plate but are botanically considered fruit . When it comes to veg versus legume , however , the difference is clear : while vegetable can consist of any portion of the plant , legume are always seeds .

harvested beans from garden with text overlay gardening tips vegetables versus legumes