Many of us will resolve to eat more healthily this January: maybe you're looking to reduce ultra-processed foods in your diet, or want to lower your meat consumption for health or environmental reasons? Perhaps you're planning to do Veganuary this year? Pulses are a tasty and healthy option, a great alternative to meat, and they’re versatile and easy to use in a huge range of recipes – give them a try!
What are pulses anyway?
Pulses are dried versions of legumes (beans and peas) – fresh peas are legumes but dried peas are pulses. Flat, disc-shaped pulses are called lentils and come in a variety of colours and sizes. They’re all high in protein and fibre and low in fat, so they’re great as part of a healthy diet. Did you know that another name for mung beans is green gram – hence our name and logo (a sprouting mung bean!)?
Pulses have a low environmental impact compared to other crops because they don't need synthetic nitrogen fertilisers - they are able to 'fix' nitrogen from the atmosphere and are often used to improve soil health.
Why eat pulses?
The British Heart Foundation recommends eating pulses regularly to improve your general health and help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Pulses do a similar job to meat in the diet by providing your body with the protein it needs to repair itself. One portion (about three heaped tablespoons) of pulses provide up to 9g of protein – about a sixth of what you need in a day. Although the protein is not ‘complete’ (it doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids found in meat), eating a variety of beans, lentils, nuts and wholegrains will ensure you get the balance you need.
One portion of pulses also provides about a third of the fibre you need for the entire day. Eating foods high in fibre can help lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. The mix of protein and fibre in pulses means they are digested slowly, making you feel fuller for longer.
Easy ways to eat more pulses
Add butter beans, or green or speckled (Puy-type) lentils to a salad for lunch
Replace half the meat in your bolognese with green or speckled lentils
Add extra kidney beans to your favourite chilli
Make hummus at home and use instead of butter or mayonnaise in sandwiches
Experiment with mung beans, lentils and chickpeas to make delicious dhal
Sprout mung beans or speckled lentils on your windowsill and add to salads
Try our Seven Bean Mix in a bean chilli or dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a bean salad
Check out our recipe section on the website for more inspiration!
Why buy dry and not tinned?
There are several advantages to cooking pulses yourself:
Batch cooking can work out cheaper than buying pre-cooked
There's often a greater variety of dried pulses available
You can choose how much to use, reducing food waste
You can add (or omit) other ingredients such as seasonings and salt
The lining of tins can contain BPA (Bisphenol A, a hormone disruptor) which can leach into food
The weight and space of transporting dry pulses is less than for tinned
Reducing the number of empty tins in your recycling bin saves energy and resources
When cooking your own pulses, remember to check for debris or small stones, ensure you rinse well before soaking, and always cook in fresh water (not the soaking water).
Lots of recipes call for a tin of pulses and a standard 400g tin contains about 240g of pulses when drained. Bear in mind that dry pulses roughly double in weight when cooked, so adjust your quantities accordingly. It’s more efficient to batch cook rather than cook small amounts for a particular recipe, and you can keep cooked pulses in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze portions for later. Plastic takeaway tubs make great containers for the freezer!
Next time you visit us, take a look at the range of pulses we have on offer - or check out our price list here!
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