Promotion of legume intake—Israeli dietitians’ knowledge, beliefs and practices

Background The health and environmental benefits of legume consumption are reflected in dietary guidelines worldwide. However, legume intake fails to meet recommendations. Dietitians’ legume counseling practices can impact consumption patterns. This cross-sectional study assessed Israeli dietitians’ knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices regarding legume counseling and identified pertinent barriers and facilitators. Methods An electronic survey among Israeli dietitians (n = 309) was performed. Multivariable logistic regression assessed associations between recommending legumes with participants’ socio-demographic and professional characteristics, knowledge, perceptions, attitudes toward legume counseling and personal legume intake. Results Almost half (47.4%) of the participants recommended that 76% or more of their patients increase legume intake. Factors that were associated with recommending legumes were perceptions of fewer barriers to consumption [adjusted OR (aOR) 1.92 (95% CI 1.24–2.96)] and positive attitudes toward legume counseling pertaining to its importance [aOR 1.95 (95% CI 1.12–3.4)]. Negatively associated factors were a low level of personal legume consumption [aOR 0.38 (95% CI 0.15–0.94)] and working in hospitals [aOR 0.43 (95% CI 0.19–0.98)]. Conclusions Israeli dietitians’ recommendations for legume consumption were well below current guidelines. These findings indicate the need for a tailored intervention for nutrition professionals to increase the frequency of legume counseling and overall consumption.