Legumes
The legumes are the seeds of peas, beans, lentils and peanuts.
While they are seeds, just as the cereals are, they differ in that they contain a very much larger proportion of protein and may be substituted for meat or eggs in a diet. In all vegetarian diets the legumes should be used freely to replace the meat.
All legumes must be thoroughly cooked and thoroughly masticated. Because the protein in these foods is more difficult of digestion than that in meat or eggs, particularly if not thoroughly masticated, they are better adapted for the use of men doing manual labor. Soldiers, day laborers, and others, whose work calls for physical exercise, can digest legumes, when those whose occupation is more sedentary can not do so.
TABLE VIII.—LEGUMES
| Food Materials | Water Per Cent | Protein Per Cent | Fat Per Cent | Carbohydrates Per Cent | Ash Per Cent | Fuel Value per pound Calories | |
| Dried Legumes: | |||||||
| Navy beans | 12.6 | 22.5 | 1.8 | 59.6 | 3.5 | 1,605 | |
| Dried Peas | 9.5 | 24.6 | 1.0 | 62.0 | 2.9 | 1,655 | |
| Lentils | 8.4 | 25.7 | 1.0 | 59.2 | 5.7 | 1,620 | |
| Lima beans | 10.4 | 18.1 | 1.5 | 65.9 | 4.1 | 1,625 | |
| Peanuts | 9.2 | 25.8 | 38.6 | 24.4 | 2.0 | 2,560 | |
| Peanut butter | 2.1 | 29.3 | 46.5 | 17.1 | 5.0 | 2,825 | |
| Fresh Legumes: | |||||||
| Canned peas | 85.3 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 255 | |
| Canned lima beans | 79.5 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 14.6 | 1.6 | 360 | |
| Canned string beans | 93.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 95 | |
| Canned baked beans | 68.9 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 19.6 | 2.1 | 600 | |
| String beans | 89.2 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 7.4 | 0.8 | 195 | |
| Shelled peas | 74.6 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 16.9 | 1.0 | 465 | |
The protein of the legumes is of the same nature as the casein of milk. It has been called vegetable casein.
Peanuts. While an underground vegetable, grown like potatoes, peanuts resemble nuts, inasmuch as they contain so much oil. Like other legumes, they require cooking. They are roasted because this develops the flavor.