10 Amazing Health Benefits of Pulses That Make Them a Crucial Part of Diet This World Pulses Day

Every year, 10^th February is celebrated as World Pulses Day globally. The United Nations General Assembly has organized this day to spread awareness about the importance of pulse crops, such as dry beans, lentils, and chickpeas, as a global food. This noted day allows us an opportunity to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of the consumption of pulses. Moreover, the inclusion of pulses in various farming systems can help boost the resilience of agricultural livelihood and enhance productivity. The theme of World Pulses Day 2023 is “Pulses for a Sustainable Future” which is based on the benefits that pulses offer to the environment and agrifood system. Pulses are an integral part of our diet and they are the native food of India. Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, mung beans, and black-eyed beans are some common pulses that are a part of our balanced, healthy meals. These pulses offer amazing health benefits that help us stay in the pink of health naturally. While spreading awareness about these crops this World Pulses Day, it is crucial to learn and spread the word about how beneficial pulses are to our health. So, you might be wondering about the health benefits of pulses in your diet, aren’t you? Discover all about it by reading this blog below.

10 Incredible Health Benefits of Pulses That You Should Be Aware of:

Here’s a list of amazing health benefits that pulses offer when we include them in our regular diet.

1. Excellent Food for Heart Health

One of the key benefits of pulses is that they are beneficial for having a healthy heart. They have minimal fat content; so, they are effective in minimizing the risk of developing cholesterol-based health and cardiovascular diseases. People who include pulses in their regular diet have reduced chances of developing cardiovascular conditions. The consumption of pulses also helps lower the risk of a heart attack. Moreover, pulses also contain a high quantity of potassium and low levels of sodium that help manage your blood pressure effectively.

2. Keeps Your Blood Sugar in Check

Legumes and pulses have a very low GI rank. So, having pulses in your diet does not cause a major spike in blood sugar; they may lead to a merely nominal rise in blood glucose. So, they are effective to manage blood sugar, particularly in diabetic individuals. Also, a daily intake of pulses helps improve your health and keeps diabetes at bay in people who have not yet developed diabetes. In diabetic individuals, regular consumption of pulses helps keep blood glucose levels in check.

3. Rich Source of Nutrients

Being abundant in antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, protein, and fibre, pulses are a highly nutritious plant-based food source. Besides these, pulses are also loaded with vitamins and minerals, such as niacin, calcium, thiamine, potassium, iron, and magnesium. Iron is crucial for growth and development. Also, it is a key part of haemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from our lungs to various body parts. Our body requires all these crucial nutrients for the smooth functioning of all systems. So, pulses are a powerhouse of nutrients that helps the proper and healthy functioning of the human body.

4. Beneficial for a Healthy Gut

Pulses are rich in fibre. Fibre is a crucial part of a balanced, nutritional diet. Pulses contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. While soluble fibre helps in reducing cholesterol and keeping blood sugar in check, insoluble fibre helps in digestion and promoting digestive health. Thus, having pulses in your diet helps you have a healthy gut. Pulses happen to have four times greater fibre than what is present in brown rice.

5. Minimizes the Risk of Cancer

Loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, pulses are a healthy food that helps reduce the risk of cancer. The selenium content in the pulses helps in minimizing the rate of tumour growth. It also strengthens the immune system which helps combat ailments.

6. Enriches Our Body with Plant-based Protein

Rich in amino acids, pulses are a great source of plant-based protein. Proteins are crucial to boost the strength of our body and promoting healing. Individuals practising intense physical activity should include healthy pulses along with other dairy products in their diet for nourishing their bodies with proteins. Plant-based proteins are a healthy and safe source of proteins. They are an inevitable part of vegetarian and vegan diets. Plant-based proteins in pulses ensure you have a low-fat intake as compared to animal-based proteins in meat, fish, and other similar foods. So, eating pulses helps keep fat-related diseases at bay.

7. Helps Manage Appetite and Weight

Pulses are a healthy food source of complex carbohydrates, fibre, and protein. They help you have the necessary starch. Its fibre content helps you stay full when consumed in the required quantity and keeps your appetite in check. So, they prevent you from overeating and help avoid excess weight gain. Thus, they prevent you from turning obese or overweight.

8. Beneficial for the Health of Pregnant Women

Being a good source of iron, pulses are highly beneficial food for expecting mothers. The intake of pulses lowers or prevents the risk of developing neural tube defects in the foetus of pregnant females. Including pulses in the diet helps boost the production of red blood cells.

9. Reduces the Risk of Chronic Ailment

Pulses are packed with nutrients that help manage blood sugar, cholesterol, and various associated health issues that may result due to uncontrolled cholesterol and blood glucose levels. The high antioxidant content in the pulses helps neutralize the harmful free radicals that result due to metabolism. When our body fails to receive adequate antioxidants, it becomes vulnerable to ailments. The intake of pulses strengthens your immune system and prevents or lowers the risk of chronic ailments, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity, among others.

10. Supplies Folate

Legumes are rich in folate. Pulses, such as toor dal, are abundant in folic acid which makes them essential for pregnant women. Folate helps make new cells. Folic acid helps in the development of the neural tube. So, expecting mothers need it for the good growth and development of their unborn babies. Pulses are also necessary for the growth of children.

So, let’s pledge this World Pulses Day to enrich our diet with various pulses and enjoy good health naturally. Consulting certified dieticians, such as health experts at Health Total, can help you have all the necessary pulses in your daily diet appropriately. Our diet plan will not only help improve your health but also eliminate nutritional deficiencies, boost immunity, manage weight, and lower potential health risks effortlessly. So, think no further, get in touch with us at Health Total, and pave your way to stay hale and hearty with our personalized diet plan comprising pulses.

Sign up for a FREE consultation with Health Total experts to get more tips on enjoying good health by having a nutritious diet with pulses or managing any other health condition. Call toll-free at  1-800-833-171709 and Book Free Consultation!