The power of pulses: 15 easy, delicious ways to eat more life-changing legumes

Want to consume more gut-friendly fibre, as well as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants? Like the idea of a more sustainable diet? Here is the answer - and baked beans are only the start

Worried about rising food prices, your diet’s carbon footprint or whether you’re eating healthily enough? Believe it or not, there could be a magic bullet: pulses.

According to a study by the University of Reading, published in the European Journal of Nutrition in March, adults who eat more pulses – dried beans, peas and lentils – have a higher intake of nutrients including fibre, folate and vitamins C and E; minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium; and a lower intake of saturated fat and sugar. Similar results have been found in American, Australian and Canadian research.