If you are not already used to eating legumes (or also called pulse when dry), introducing them into your life is one of the best things that you can do for yourself ! Affordable and nutritious, legumes come from a family of plants that produce simple dry fruits. The grain legumes for human consumption are beans, peas (including chickpeas), lentils, peanuts and lupins.

GOOD FOR YOU

  • Great source of protein.
  • Good for your gut thanks to the dietary fiber and the resistant starch they contain.
  • Stabilize fluctuations of blood sugar thanks to the fiber content.
  • Support weight control.
  • Great source of important minerals and vitamins !

GOOD FOR THE PLANET

  • Increase the amount of nitrogen available to plants through biological nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for fertilizers.
  • Allow to reduce meat consumption as they can replace your daily portion of protein coming from meat and therefore reduce the need for large scale meat production. Less cattle = less greenhouse gases!

As you can see, introducing legumes into your diet not only has great benefits for your health, it will automatically help our planet, too! And the cherry on top: they’re usually local and very affordable, even when organic!

One thing to remember if you’re not used to eating legumes, start slowly with small quantities, to let your gut get accustomed to this new member of your diet. If you tend to feel bloated, this might be due to the fact that your gut bacteria is not yet used to legumes. This will generally only be a short-lived problem, as your intestinal flora will change to take full advantage of their benefits!

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

So, our challenge for you this week is to start introducing any kind of legumes into one or more of your meals. Don’t worry, it’s easier (and tastier) than you might think! And don’t forget that there are many local suppliers of legumes, so make sure to take advantage of this. If you look further than the big supermarkets, through your favourite internet browser for example, you will be surprised to discover producers not too far away who can provide you with these precious ingredients and maybe even other good things !

Here is a link to some recipe ideas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/pulse

And as we’re all busy, don’t forget that the simplest options are often the best: simply add pulses to good mixed salads or eat them instead of your usual starchy foods (pasta, rice, potatoes, etc). Personally, we love to pan-roast them with chili and drizzle them with olive oil after cooking. Tip : make a good batch and freeze, so that you always have some on hand.

Enjoy !