Nutrition

MORE NUTRITION INFORMATION

FIBRE

Fibre includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Pulses are very high in fibre, containing both soluble and insoluble fibres. While soluble fibres help to decrease blood cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels, insoluble fibres help with digestion and regularity. The recommend daily intake of fibre is 38 g/day of total fibre for men and 25 g/day of total fibre for women. Astonishingly, eating just 125 mL (1/2 c.) of pulses per day provides anywhere from 7 - 17g of fibre!

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

Aside from fibres, pulses contain other complex carbohydrates like resistant, slowly digestible starch, as well as oligosaccharides (a complex carbohydrate containing three to six units of simple sugars). Resistant starch and oligosaccharides behave like fibre in the body, as they are not digested or absorbed. Conversely, slowly digestible starch

PROTEIN

Pulses are somewhat unique as a plant food because they typically contain about twice the amount of protein found in whole grain cereals like wheat, oats, barley and rice. Pulses have higher amounts of the essential amino acid lysine, whereas cereals have higher amounts of the amino acids methionine and cysteine. Thus, blending pulses with cereals or nuts results in a better quality protein that contains all essential amino acids in appropriate amounts. This is particularly important for people eating vegetarian or vegan diets.

NUTRIENT DENSE

Pulses provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals in a relatively low amount of calories. Some of the key minerals in pulses include iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Pulses are also particularly abundant in B vitamins including folate, thiamin and niacin.

LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX

For a food that is high in carbohydrates, pulses have a low glycemic index which means they do not cause a fast rise in blood sugar after eating. Studies have shown that eating pulses is a good way to manage blood sugar levels which is particularly important for people with diabetes.

OTHER INFORMATION

Pulses are available as whole seeds, but can also be turned into ingredients like flours. Their versatility gives endless options to add more pulses to the diet and to meet the recommended weekly amounts of several important nutrients.

Many health organisations recommend eating pulses to maintain good health and prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Eating Well withCanada’s Food Guide states “Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often” and suggests that regularly choosing beans and other meat alternatives such as lentils can help minimize the amount of saturated fat in the diet.