The 3 rules of eating pulses

Guideline 9- The 3 rules of eating pulses

1. Soak and sprout before cooking
2. Use right ratio of pulses and grains (1:3) / pulses and millets (1:2), in cooking
3. Have atleast 5 types of pulses/ legumes every week and in 5 different forms every month

Dal chawal is amongst the oldest foods in the Indian tradition. In fact, India uses dals and legumes in really interesting ways – as halwa, in sabzis like gheeya, tori, banana flower, as Bhajiya, as a meal by itself like thalipeeth, pessaratu, etc., and then of course as an accompaniment with rice and roti. Not just that, our rich food traditions have given us these three rules to get the best out of pulses -

Rule 1. Soaking and sprouting them before cooking, to reduce the anti-nutrients and allow for optimum enzyme action to break them down

Pulses are rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals, but it’s not quite easy to assimilate the amino acids from them. They naturally contain what is called as anti-nutrients, molecules that come in the way of nutrient assimilation. That’s why so many people have gas, bloating, indigestion etc., on eating them. And so, your dadi devised this method to reduce the anti-nutrients and to enhance the protein, micro-nutrient and digestibility of pulses and legumes.

Rule 2. Mixing them with millets and grains to improve their essential to non-essential amino acid ratio. The ratio is 1:3 when you use it with rice and 1:2 when you use it with a mixture of millets and grains.

The rationale behind this is that pulses and legumes lack an amino acid called methionine and grains lack lysine. Lysine is found abundantly in pulses but without the full profile of other amino acids like methionine, it cannot completely carry out its functions. It plays a role in –
Antiageing - prevents premature greying
Bone mass - preserves it, strengthens it
Immunity - helps build antibodies when under attack

The finely tuned and timeless ratio of pulses to grains and millets, also allows you to access BCAA, a group of 3 amino acids which help with optimum fat burning, build muscle tone and help reduce stress too. Toh pandemic ke zamane mein this is crucial.

Rule 3. Having a wide variety of pulses and having them in different forms to optimize intake of all nutrients.

India has more than 65000 varieties of pulses and legumes. A wide variety of pulses (atleast 5 different types in a week) when eaten in different ways (as dal, papad, pickle, idli, dosa, laddoo, halwa, etc.) ensures that we get the diet diversity needed for healthy gut bacteria.

So, to summarize, pulses are a powerhouse of nutrition, and to get the best out of them, follow the three time tested rules.

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