What is pulses?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I gave up meat at the beginning of the year as a part of a 30 day fast. Here

I am 31 days later and I have decided that I don't want to go back to my old,

carcass eatting ways. ;-)

 

So I was doing a little research and came across this:

Vegetarians live on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and

fruit, with or without free-range eggs, milk and milk products.

 

What in the world is " pulses? "

 

There is so much knowlege on this list, I know you all can help me out.

 

Thanks!

Maxine

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/pulses.html

 

 

 

Pulses

 

 

 

Peas, beans and lentils are known as pulses. They are the seeds of plants

belonging to the family Leguminosae, which gets its name from the

characteristic pod or legume that protects the seeds while they are forming

and ripening. With approximately 13,000 species, the family Leguminosae is

the second largest in the plant kingdom and it is very important

economically.

 

Different kinds of legumes provide us with food, medicines, oils, chemicals,

timber, dyes and ornamental garden plants. Legume products include carob,

senna, gum arabic, balsam, indigo and licorice. Pulses are valuable because

they contain a higher percentage of protein than most other plant foods.

 

 

Origins

 

 

Pulses have been used as food for thousands of years. The lentil was

probably one of the first plants ever to be domesticated by humans. Most

pulses prefer warm climates but there are varieties which grow in temperate

regions. They can be eaten fresh or dried and come in a great number of

varieties with a range of colours, flavours, and textures. In spite of its

common name, the peanut or groundnut is also a legume rather than a nut.

 

 

Nutrition

 

 

All pulses, except for soya beans, are very similar in nutritional content.

They are rich in protein, carbohydrate and fibre, and low in fat which is

mostly of the unsaturated kind. They are also important sources of some B

vitamins. Fresh pulses contain vitamin C, but this declines after harvesting

and virtually all is lost from dried pulses. Canned pulses however, retain

about half their vitamin C except for canned, processed peas which have been

dried before canning. Canning doesn't affect the protein content, eliminates

the need for soaking and considerably reduces the cooking time compared with

dried pulses. Frozen peas will have also lost about a quarter of their

vitamin C content.

 

Pulses are usually eaten for their high protein content. A typical

nutritional breakdown is that for haricot beans which are used to make baked

beans, contain, per 100g dried beans: 21.4g protein, 1.6g fat, 45.5g

carbohydrate, 25.4g fibre, 6.7mg iron and 180mg calcium.

 

The nutritional quality of the soya bean is superior to that of other

pulses. It contains more protein and is also a good source of iron and

calcium. The nutritional breakdown of soya is per 100g of dried beans: 34.1g

protein, 17.7g fat, 28.6g carbohydrate, 8.4mg iron and 226mg calcium. Dried

soya beans are lengthy to prepare because they need at least 12 hours

soaking and 4 hours cooking time, boiling for the first hour, but nowadays a

large number of soya based foods including tofu, tempeh and textured

vegetable protein (soya mince or chunks) are available.

 

 

Storage & Cooking

 

 

One advantage of dried pulses is that they will store very well for long

periods if kept in a dry, airtight container away from the light. However it

is best to eat them as fresh as possible. Pulses toughen on storage and

older ones will take longer to cook. Allow about 55g dried weight per

person, once soaked and cooked they will at least double in weight. Most

dried pulses need soaking for several hours before they can be cooked,

exceptions are all lentils, green and yellow split peas, blackeye and mung

beans. Soaking times vary from 4-12 hours, it is usually most convenient to

soak pulses overnight. Always discard the soaking water, rinse and cook in

fresh water without any salt, which toughens the skins and makes for longer

cooking. Changing the water will help to reduce the flatulence some people

suffer when eating pulses, also reputed to help is the addition of a pinch

of aniseeds, caraway, dill or fennel seeds.

 

 

 

Toxins in Pulses

 

 

Consumers should be aware that it is not safe to eat raw or undercooked

kidney. There is no need to avoid them as long as they are

thoroughly cooked.

 

Red kidney beans: Incidents of food poisoning have been reported associated

with the consumption of raw or undercooked red kidney beans. Symptoms may

develop after eating only four raw beans and include nausea, vomiting and

abdominal pain followed by diarrhoea. A naturally occurring haemaglutin is

responsible for the illness, but can be destroyed by high temperature

cooking, making the beans completely safe to eat. For this reason, kidney

beans must not be sprouted. Kidney beans should be soaked for at least 8

hours in enough cold water to keep them covered. After soaking, drain and

rinse the beans, discarding the soaking water. Put them into a pan with cold

water to cover and bring to the boil. The beans must now boil for 10 minutes

to destroy the toxin. After this the beans should be simmered until cooked

(approximately 45-60 minutes) and they should have an even creamy texture

throughout - if the centre is still hard and white, they require longer

cooking.

 

Soya flour should state heat treated on its packaging. Other soya products

(e.g. tofu, tempeh, soya milk, soya sauces and miso) are quite safe to use.

Soya beans can be sprouted, but the sprouts should be quickly blanched in

boiling water to inactivate the trypsin inhibitor.

 

Pressure cooking: The temperatures achieved in pressure cooking are adequate

to destroy both haemaglutins and the trypsin inhibitor. Pressure cooking

also considerably reduces cooking times - kidney beans 10-20 minutes, soya

beans 1 hour.

 

Canning: The temperature achieved in the canning process also renders pulses

quite safe.

 

Slow cookers: Pulses must be soaked and boiled for 10 minutes before being

added to a slow cooker, as they do not reach sufficiently high temperatures

to destroy the toxins.

 

As beans and peas are all very similar nutritionally, with the exception of

soya, they can be interchanged in most recipes if you want to experiment or

have run out of one kind, as long as you take into account the different

cooking times. If the beans are likely to need a lot longer to cook than the

other ingredients, try pre-cooking them in a separate pan before adding to

the other ingredients or using canned beans.

 

Click here <http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes/beansnuts.html> to

find a selection of recipes that include pulses

 

 

Sprouting

 

 

Many whole pulses (e.g. aduki, chickpeas, whole lentils, marrowfat peas,

mung and soya beans) can be sprouted which increases their nutritional

value.

 

 

 

 

 

Pat,___

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

So I was doing a little research and came across this:

Vegetarians live on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and

fruit, with or without free-range eggs, milk and milk products.

 

What in the world is " pulses? "

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_(legume) Everything you need to know about

pulses and then some. :-)

 

TM

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[Guest guest]

http://www.florahearts.co.uk/livingforahealthyheart/healthyeating/healthy-diet-t\

ips.aspx?style=1#pulses

<http://www.florahearts.co.uk/livingforahealthyheart/healthyeating/healthy-diet-\

tips.aspx?style=1#pulses>

 

" Pulses

 

Pulses include a range of beans, peas, and lentils,

for example, baked beans, lentils (red, green,

yellow, brown), black eyed peas, and chickpeas.

These foods add bulk to a meal and are low in

fat. The fibre found in pulses may also help to

lower cholesterol. "

 

 

--- TendrMoon wrote:

 

>

>

> So I was doing a little research and came across

> this:

> Vegetarians live on a diet of grains, pulses,

> nuts, seeds, vegetables and

> fruit, with or without free-range eggs, milk and

> milk products.

>

> What in the world is " pulses? "

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_(legume)

> Everything you need to know about pulses and then

> some. :-)

>

> TM

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Maxine, and welcome. The kind of pulse you eat are also know as legumes;

Beans, peas, lentiles and such.

Congratulations on your decision. Now that you have all that animal polution

out of your body you have made a good decision. This group is a good place for

encouragement, some wonderful recipies and information. Tell us more about

yourself. I live in Alaska with my husband who still eats meat when I am not

the one doing the cooking. At home he eats what I do and loves it.

Katie

 

 

maxine johnson <justmaxine wrote:

Hi all,

I gave up meat at the beginning of the year as a part of a 30 day fast. Here I

am 31 days later and I have decided that I don't want to go back to my old,

carcass eatting ways. ;-)

 

So I was doing a little research and came across this:

Vegetarians live on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit,

with or without free-range eggs, milk and milk products.

 

What in the world is " pulses? "

 

There is so much knowlege on this list, I know you all can help me out.

 

Thanks!

Maxine

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks Katie and all who responded to my question. I should have known it was

something simple!

 

I live in OH, been an LPN for 20+ years.My husband is a carnivore, so I still

cook meat for him, but he has noticed that there seems to be a lot more

vegetables with dinner now. :-) Who knows, he may convert one day.

 

I decided to try the Vegan lifestyle after turning 50 last month and realizing

how lousy I felt. It may all be psychological, but I swear I feel better since

making the change.

 

Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the help and I hope you all don't mind if

I chime in with a question or two ever so often!

 

Maxine

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I became vegetarian about 2 years ago at age 54. I was in very poor health and

was not expected to live long. Guess I fooled them. Since I stopped eating

meat I not only stopped the progression of my cardiac arterial disease, over

time it is reversing. My doctor can't explain it and won't believe my diet did

it, but I know.

When I stopped eating meat I talked to hubby and he agreed to one meatless

meal a week. After eggplant parmesean the next night he agreed to two nights a

week. After zucchini casserole the next night he agreed to three. It went on

like that. I haven't cooked meat since.

My husband loves the variety of really wonderful foods he gets and eagerly

looks forward to what I am going to make each evening.

Katie

 

maxine johnson <justmaxine wrote:

Thanks Katie and all who responded to my question. I should have known

it was something simple!

 

I live in OH, been an LPN for 20+ years.My husband is a carnivore, so I still

cook meat for him, but he has noticed that there seems to be a lot more

vegetables with dinner now. :-) Who knows, he may convert one day.

 

I decided to try the Vegan lifestyle after turning 50 last month and realizing

how lousy I felt. It may all be psychological, but I swear I feel better since

making the change.

 

Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the help and I hope you all don't mind if I

chime in with a question or two ever so often!

 

Maxine