The onset of the pandemic and its lingering health effects have led many of us to take a greater interest in our health. Aside from exercise, there has been an upsurge in spending on better quality and healthy food.

However, many labour under the misconception that good fresh food is an expensive add on that not everyone can afford. However is this really true?

Let’s look at what the experts have to say on the matter!

According to Trust Me I’m a Doctor’s, Dr Zoe Williams, there is an increasing body of evidence to indicate that incorporating beans and pulses as part of your regular diet can yield excellent health benefits. For one, it may help prevent Type-2 diabetes in older adults at high cardiovascular risk.

Dr Rupy Aujla, the GP who started ‘The Doctor’s Kitchen’, a project to inspire patients about the beauty of food and the medicinal effects of eating well, went so far as to say that if a drug had that kind of result, we’d probably prescribe it”

Besides its nutritious health benefits, pulses such as beans, lentils and peas are also easy to cook and extremely affordable.

Pulses are also packed with fibre, which many of us don’t eat enough of. Insoluble fibre is believed to be beneficial for your gut microbiome, because bacteria in the gut ferments it. Soluble fibre has been shown to reduce elevated cholesterol levels and promote heart health.

Pulses also contain vitamins and minerals, including copper, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium and zinc.

What the two good doctors have clearly demonstrated is that not all fresh and healthy ingredients have to put a dent in our wallets.

As an add on benefit, pulses are also easy to cook and citing a lack of time is simply not an excuse!

Tinned pulses, including green lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans, require no cooking, so work well in speedy salads. Make Dr. Rupy’s quick beetroot hummus with a tin of chickpeas and eat with pitta chips or vegetable sticks.

Dried pulses tend to be cheaper than tinned. Dried red lentils only need boiling for around 20 minutes – try them in Rupy’s red lentil dal or mulligatawny soup. 

Give it a shot!