Why You Should Consume Pulses Regularly With Age?

Blogs08 Aug 2024

Belonging to the family of legumes (Leguminosae to be precise), pulses are a subgroup of edible seeds we have consumed for 10,000 years as humans. Some of the most popular and commonly consumed pulses are kidney beans, chickpeas, split peas, mung beans, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, and lentils. Since they can be grown in many parts of the world, pulses have been economically and nutritionally important. In this article, we’ll explore pulses, their nutritional benefits, and whether they can help us in our quest for healthy ageing.

Why maintaining a balanced diet matters after 40

Our bodies are always changing, but they change even more when we reach midlife. Slowly but surely, ageing occurs in all organs of the body. With age, one might face a decreased cardiac output, rise in blood pressure, slower lung function and metabolism etc. But through healthy eating choices, an active lifestyle and good sleep and stress management, you can prevent or delay most of these issues!

Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet can be a great strategy to promote healthy ageing as it helps maintain physical and cognitive function while preventing age-related conditions. That’s why picking the right ingredients for your diet is so important. Choosing foods with adequate protein, fibre, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids is a great way to support overall health for older adults. Pulses are one such group of ingredients that may help you achieve healthy ageing!

The Powerhouse of Pulses

Let’s understand more about pulses and how their nutrients can give us many important health benefits.

Bursting with Micronutrients

Pulses as a subgroup are rich in micronutrients. Some minerals that are commonly found in pulses are iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. Having a deficiency in any of these minerals can lead to serious health conditions and having pulses can be a simple way of avoiding such deficiencies and health concerns such as obesity, heart issues, diabetes etc.

Significant Protein content

Most pulses contain a good amount of protein, nearly 21-25% while being low in calories and fat. While pulses do not include all essential amino acids, their protein content is higher than all cereals, making them a good plant-based protein source. This protein content can help muscle movement and growth, carry oxygen in the blood, power enzyme reactions and much more.

Prevents oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Oxidative stress can cause several chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disorders. Pulses show a significant antioxidant activity that can prevent oxidative stress and reduce the risk of these health conditions. These antioxidative effects could be relayed to the phenolic compounds found in several pulses like kidney beans, lentils and black beans.

Helps with obesity

Obesity is a serious chronic condition in which the body accumulates excessive fat. Obesity increases the chances of developing other chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart issues, osteoarthritis, to name a few. Science has found that having more pulses may increase satiety and help with weight management. Some studies have also found that those who consume diets rich in pulses may contribute to greater weight loss.

Regulates cholesterol levels and boosts heart health

Pulses may also help reduce high or elevated LDL and HDL cholesterol levels or a condition known as Hypercholesterolemia. Pulses contain a host of helpful bioactive compounds such as fibre, protein, plant sterols, and resistant starch which can help in lipid metabolisation and help lower cholesterol levels in the body. Since high cholesterol levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular conditions, keeping them in check can also prevent or reduce the risk of heart conditions.

May help with diabetes management

Since pulses have a low glycemic index, low fat content and are high in fibre they are suitable for diabetics. Pulses can increase satiety, stabilise blood sugar and insulin levels and reduce spikes after eating.

Some additional benefits of pulses that you may not know about are:

• Pulses are gluten-free
• They are a good source of iron which can be helpful for those with low iron or an iron deficiency
• They promote bone health
• Pulses are also a source of folate which can help reduce the risk of birth defects during pregnancies

How to correctly cook your pulses

It’s important to know how to cook pulses correctly if you want to add more of them to your diet.

1. Soak: Many pulses such as chickpeas, dry beans, whole peas etc., need to be soaked before being cooked. Before you soak, make sure to remove any broken pulses, other grains and dirt from them. Then wash them in cold water and drain the dirty water. Once washed, place them in a container and fill it with clean water. Let them soak for 8-10 hours to make them soft and ready to cook.
2. Don’t overwash: Remember to not overwash your pulses. Wash them a few times to ensure that they are clean but repeated washing can cause a loss in some nutrients.
3. Cook: Once washed and soaked, you can use a saucepan and water to boil them along with spices and oil for a wholesome dish. You can also use a pressure cooker to speed up the process.

Easy Ways to Include Pulses in Your Diet

• You can soak pulses till they sprout and cook them with vegetables and spices for a healthy bowl of sprouts regularly.
• You can add pulses to millet and grains to make cheelas, dosa and more.
• Since there are so many pulses to choose from, try to consume different ones regularly to maximise the nutrition of this group.
• Some of the easiest ways of cooking pulses are as a dal or lentil soup, tikkis, khichdi or even adding them to your daily salads.

Conclusion

Pulses are an important kitchen staple that you should pay more attention to if you want to age gracefully and in a healthy way. They are an excellent source of many nutrients such as iron, zinc, folate, magnesium, fibre, protein, carbohydrates and more. Having them regularly can boost your overall health and reduce the risk of heart issues, manage diabetes and weight. You can add more pulses to your diet by making lentil soup or dal, cheelas or pancakes, salads, sprouts and more. We hope this article helped you understand why pulses are important as we age so that you can start including them in your diet today!

For more such informational articles on food, health, nutrition, and ageing, explore Right Shift. We’re your cheerleaders on this journey towards healthy ageing. You can try our free tools to make some positive changes to your lifestyle today. Start with our free health score calculator to understand where you’re at with your current health. Once you know how much work you need to put in and what your health goals are, try our free meal plan creator to make healthy and nutritious meals and keep yourself fit and healthy!