John Lethlean is a food writer based in Melbourne Australia. Recently, Lethlean reviewed Chef Simon Bryant's new cook book "vegetables, grains & Other Good Stuff" for the Australian, calling it "exceptional". Not only does Chef Simon Bryant's book provide the consumer with an array of delicious recipes, it also shares insight in the benefits of increasing the consumption of plant-based proteins.
Take this passage, for example, from Chef Simon Bryant's page on pulses:
“Like their legume cousins, beans tick many environmental boxes. They are also playing a part in the new dietary frontier of gut health, which many believe can influence a range of health conditions. This is because beans that are soaked, cooked and cooled (and reheated again if you choose) are great source of resistant starch (RS) which has been touted as a superfood for the digestive system.
“RS passes through the small intestine undigested: it is instead broken down in the large intestine and feeds the good bacteria down there. This process produces a fatty acid that not only fuels the body but keeps lower intestinal cells healthy — which in turn may provide protection against cancer. This is huge news, but all you really need to know is that beans are excellent for your health, and full of flavour and substance.”