Beans, Peas, Lentils and Millets: The Holy Trinity of Health
Incorporating pulses, millets, and lentils into your diet can bring a multitude of health benefits while adding delicious variety to your meals. These plant-based powerhouses are not only packed with essential nutrients but also contribute to sustainable food systems. If you want to eat more beans and explore the wide range of legumes available, we have curated ten delightful ways to enhance your diet and satisfy your taste buds.
How to Use Lentils, Pulses, and Millets in Your Daily Diet
- Salads
With the variety of colours available, green, yellow, brown, red, and more, adding some pulses to your salad adds much-needed colours to the bowl, fuelling your wish to consume it. Roast the peas or boil the beans, toss them into your salad, and bring colours and flavours to your dish. You can have a salad bowl full of beans and peas or mix them into your veggie salad to blend the goodness. There are several ways to spice up the bland salad.
- Soups
Stew and soup can also make use of the goodness of beans, peas, and lentils. Whether you want to add pulses whole or make a puree, you can add them in any form in your stew and soups. Not only do they add flavour, colour, and texture, but they are filled with fibre and other necessary nutrients and too in an affordable manner.
- Spreads
The next time you start your morning, try crushing some beans, peas, or lentils and spreading them over your breakfast toast. You can even use this spread on top of your tacos to spice them up or in your quesadillas to make them healthier.
Besides spread, you can use millets, pulses, and lentils as a dip. High in fibre and protein, millets, pulses, and lentils make great spreads and dips to add some texture and flavour to your meals.
- Millet Cakes
Now you can satisfy your sweet tooth without thinking twice about it. Desserts are infamous for impacting your health adversely. Filled with sugar and lots of maida, it can indeed be harmful to your health. But if you replace the maida with millet flour, like finger millet or foxtail millet, you can enjoy the sweet delicacy with a hint of health to it.
- Purees
Baking is great, but some ingredients can increase your fat intake. By replacing half the fat with purees of beans and lentils, you can get a dose of daily health served to you. Who thought beans and lentils would serve to be this delicious?
- Burgers
Mash your favourite lentils, beans, or peas, mix them into the vegetable patty, and blend it with breadcrumbs. You get a flavourful burger patty with the addition of necessary beans and lentils.
- Toppings or Dry Roasted Snacks
Pulses (including beans, lentils, and peas) are excellent sources of plant-based protein, dietary fibre, vitamins (such as folate and vitamin B), minerals (such as iron and magnesium), and antioxidants. They contribute to satiety, promote digestive health, and support overall well-being. Further, with lentils, you can boost your nutrient content as they are filled with polyphenols, containing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
You can use pulses, millet, and lentils as toppings for anything, including salad and toast, or you can simply eat them as roasted snacks. Peas and even some beans taste delicious as simple roasted snacks.
- Smoothies
If you can’t eat beans and lentils in your salad, then drink them in your smoothie. Smoothies are a great way to add an extra dose of nutrition to your meals. Replacing caffeinated and sugary drinks in the morning with smoothies made out of pulses or lentils can help you set your day in the right direction.
- Millet Pancake
Can pancakes made of millet taste the same? Absolutely! In fact, they are the healthier option compared to pancakes made of maida. Millet is a whole grain that is rich in dietary fibre, which can aid digestion, promote feelings of fullness, and help maintain stable blood sugar levels. Whole grains have also been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, and obesity.
Moreover, millet contains various essential nutrients like phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and more. These elements help produce energy, preserve bone health, increase metabolism, and improve nerve functions.
- Millet Porridge
The benefits of millet don’t just stop here. Ragi malt benefits babies as well as grown-ups. You can even enjoy millet as a porridge! Since millets are an excellent gluten-free option, people with gluten sensitivities or celiac diseases and ones allergic to gluten grains like wheat or barley can enjoy this sweet delicacy.
Incorporating pulses, millets, and lentils into your diet is a simple and delicious way to enhance your overall nutritional intake. These nutrient-dense foods offer a wide range of health benefits, including improved digestion, increased energy levels, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.
Whether you choose to enjoy them as a main dish, in salads or soups, or even as a substitute for traditional grains and flours, there are countless ways to incorporate these ingredients into your daily meals. So why wait? Start exploring the world of pulses, millets, and lentils today and discover the amazing flavours they bring to your table.
