Featuring Andy De Santis, RD, MPH, Registered Dietician

Duration: 1 minute, 35 seconds

Lentils and chickpeas are members of a specific family foods known as pulses. Grown in the Canadian prairies, pulses are among the most under appreciated foods relative to their robust nutritional value.

If we think about some of the most common concerns the every day person faces like feeling satiated between meals, striving for regularity in their bowel movements and ensuring relevant blood markers like blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol stay in check – there is perhaps no better food to check each of these boxes.

There are a number of reasons why this is true. First of all, pulses are pretty much the only food that has meaningful amounts of both protein and fibre.

Many foods are high in one or the other, none besides pulses are high in both. Protein and fibre are the most satiating food components, add on to that the fact that pulses have an extremely low glycemic index and negligibly affect blood sugar levels.

From there we must acknowledge that pulses contain pretty much every nutrient that the average person may fall short in – potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc and fibre.

Finally, they contain prebiotic fibre which supports the flourishing of healthy gut bacteria. It is true that not everyone can eat pulses in infinite amounts as the nature of their fibre content can be troublesome for some, the easiest way around that is keeping serving sizes moderate ( 1/3-1/2 cup) and trying canned versions which are sometimes easier to handle particularly for those living with IBS.

Presenter: Andy De Santis, Registered Dietitian, Toronto, ON

Local Practitioners: Registered Dietitian