PULSES : ANANCIENTFOOD AT HOMEINMODERNDIETS

Driedbeans

Choosing cannedbeans over driedbeans for convenience canbe tempting,butthere’s an importantdifference between the two: sodium content.Canned beans, suchaskidney, blackor pinto, are ofteninfusedwith salt to enhance theirflavorand lengthentheirshelflife. Too much sodium canincrease blood pressure and evenlead to heart disease.When cookingwith driedbeans,you can controlthe amountof saltthat goesinto them. Beansareagood source offiberandprotein.Plus, dried beansare inexpensive andthey canlast for years storedin acool, dark place.

Driedchickpeas

Chickpeas(alsocalled garbanzo beans) are prized fortheir earthy taste andbutterytexture,but those qualities candiminish whenthey’recanned. Soaking driedchickpeas overnightisthe answer. Afterthat,theycanbe blendedinto hummus, mashed intofalafelor even roasted for a healthy,easy snack.Any unused soakedchickpeas canbefrozen for a month, so they’rereadyto gofornexttime. Because they contain every essentialamino acidthatthebodycan’t make on itsown,chickpeasareconsidered “complete proteins,”whichare crucial to buildingand repairing musclesand keepingthebody operatingatits best.

Driedpeas

Althoughtheentire pea podis classifiedas a legume,thepea itselfisthepulse.Splitpeasare grown to bedried.They’reso namedbecausewhenthey’re hulled,they naturally “split” alongtheir seam.They don’t need to be soaked,andtheycook upquickly. They’re aningredient indal —eventhe word “dal” means“to split” in Sanskrit andthey’ve been a vital source ofproteinandfibersince ancient times Ifgreensplitpeasare too sweet for your taste,try the milder yellow ones