Speciality Food Magazine JulyAugust 2024

heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, such as bowel cancer,” explains Reema Pillai, a sports nutritionist at Dietitian Fit. Adults should aim for at least 30g of fibre per day, she says, and one serving of pulses couldmake up a third of the recommended intake. As a good source of plant-based protein, beans and pulses are digested very slowly through the gut, Reema adds, “meaning they can help keep us fuller for longer”. And the health benefits don’t stop there. “The bacteria in our gut will thrive off the fibre content from the pulses, producing healthy and important by-products – again, these by-products, such as butyric acid, have been associated with reduced colon cancer risk,” Reema continues. “A regular intake of higher-fibre foods can also support a reduction in cholesterol levels, which is otherwise a leading cause of heart disease.” Another mineral found “abundantly” in legumes and whole grains is magnesium, which Reema says “can aid inmany functions in the body including heart health, blood sugar management and bone health.” The health of the planet As with anything, variety is the spice of life. And just as our health (and happiness) benefits when we change up what we eat, the health of the planet is helped by reducing our reliance on a handful of crops and introduce more unusual varieties. “It’s absolutely crucial that we move away from our over-reliance on W ith so many flashy, new food products lighting up the fine food sector, like sweet-and-spicy condiments or snacks made from seaweed, it can be easy to overlook the basics. But the bags, jars and tins of grains and pulses on your shelves are full of potential. Fromquinoa and farro to beans and lentils spanning the colours of the rainbow, this category is the bedrock for countless of your customers’ homecookedmeals, and there are real benefits you can share about swapping from supermarket tins of beans to speciality varieties, or frompackets of bog-standard rice to British-grown or more unusual varieties of grains. Health benefits of pulses and grains One distinction that is important to note in the health conversation is defining whole grains versus refined grains. Whole grains are onlyminimally processed, so they containmore fibre, vitamins, proteins, minerals and antioxidants. Whole grains are said to have many health benefits, including helping to lower blood pressure and supporting gut health. Refined grains, meanwhile, are the more processed options you’ll see at large supermarkets, and they contain fewer nutrients, though they have a longer shelf life. Whole grains and pulses, like beans, are a good source of fibre. “Having a higher intake of fibre has been associated with reduced risk of the monoculture agriculture which dominates our countryside today,” says Will White, sustainable farming coordinator at Sustain. “By usingmore diverse crops and keeping rare verities in use, we strengthen on-farm resilience to disease and extreme weather, which is absolutely crucial in a globalised world with a changing climate.” Hodmedod’s is one producer championing indigenous British beans and grains. The brand’s interest in searching for lesser-known foods led it to the fava bean, its star product, which has been grown in Britain since the Iron Age, as well as varieties like black badger peas and quinoa grown in Essex. 34 EVERYTHINGYOU NEEDTOKNOWABOUT GRAINS & PULSES Speciality Food explores common and quirky pulses and grain types and their health benefits @specialityfood • WHEAT As one of the world’s most common grains, you’ll already know a fair bit about wheat. The most popular form is called, as you might expect, common wheat, and it is used to make bread thanks to its high gluten content. Another popular species is durum, which is used to make semolina for pasta and couscous. They have similar nutrients to offer despite their different uses – just make sure you opt for whole wheat grains. • BARLEY Our domestication of barley dates back millennia. This low-gluten, high-carb grain is used in flatbreads as well as soups and stews, and it has a nutty flavour. While it doesn’t need to be milled before use, its outer layer is removed, or ‘hulled’. Choose ‘whole barley’ or ‘hulled barley’ rather than pearled barley, which is more processed and not technically a whole grain. • RICE Brown rice is a whole grain that gets its name from the colour of the bran coating, which gives the rice a nutty flavour. To make white rice, this layer is removed after harvesting. Compared to white rice, brown rice has nutritional benefits, like protein, potassium, B-vitamins and iron. There are also more unusual varieties, like black rice and red rice, which are high in antioxidants (see 12 GRAINS TO KNOW with and can be divided up into a few categories: lentils, beans and peas. They’re sold in several formats, including dried, tinned and jarred. Dried pulses offer more nutrients and are often less expensive, but they’ll take longer to cook as they need to be soaked first. LENTILS Lentils are rich in iron, and they’re also said to reduce blood sugar and help support heart health. A staple in the cooking of countries including Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, they are made up of more than 25% protein and contain a variety of other nutrients. Common types of lentils include: Black lentils Brown lentils Green lentils Red split lentils Puy lentils BEANS Beans are a win-win-win: they’re nutrient-packed, often inexpensive and easy to cook with. There are dozens of common varieties, and even more counting less-common ones, and each offers its own health benefits. Overall beans are known for being loaded with protein, fibre and a variety of vitamins and minerals while being low in fat and calories. Common bean varieties include: Kidney beans Black beans Broad beans (also known as fava beans) Butter beans Haircot beans (also known as navy beans) Borlotti beans Cannellini beans Chickpeas Pinto beans Soya beans are also included in this category but are worth a special mention. “Consuming soybeans regularly in the diet can also give additional protein compared to other beans, since it contains all essential amino acids,” Reema says. As well as being used to make fermented foods like tofu and tempeh, the young green soya beans can also be eaten, known as edamame. “It provides a great source of calcium (specifically calcium-enriched tofu), important for bone health, and frequent consumption may also help manage menopausal symptoms.” Trends in pulses and grains Despite having histories often stretching back millennia, grains, beans and other pulses are a hotbed for emerging trends thanks to our increasingly globalised world and the growing interest in eating more diverse crops. Quinoa, which emerged in the UK as a must-have superfood in the mid-noughties, is now ubiquitous in shops and on menus across the UK. After gaining mainstream popularity in the US and Europe, the price of the grain shot up, tripling between 2006 and 2013. Several grains have followed in quinoa’s footsteps – although none have replicated the process as successfully – from amaranth to sorghum and freekeh to fonio. And it’s not only what we’re eating, but how we’re eating it, too. Jarred beans are becoming increasingly popular, with the likes of Biona, the Bold Bean Co and Belazu selling gleaming jars of plump beans that boast extra creaminess and flavour when compared to their tinned counterparts. Continental producers are also selling their wares in fashionable jars, like Spanish beans from Perello or Navarrico. Beans, lentils and other pulses to know Pulses, the dried seeds of legumes, are little bursts of nutrition – namely protein, fibre and iron – that can even count as one of your five a day. They’re simple and effective to cook