Protect Your Heart With Every ‘Pulse’

Peggy R. Anderson

Extension Agent

February, 9, 2011

Protect Your Heart With Every ‘Pulse’

A pulse is not only your heartbeat, but also a variety of legumes that help protect your heart. Pulses include chickpeas/garbanzo beans, lentils, peas and dry edible beans.

These crops have been a major staple worldwide for thousands of years, but now they are being recognized even more for their important health benefits. No matter what form or type you decide to eat (fresh, frozen, canned or dried), pulses offer a beneficial array of nutrients, including fiber, protein, resistant starches, B vitamins (including folate), iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and other minerals and phytonutrients.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. today. Pulses, which are similar in size and shape to pills, actually may be like magic pills that help reduce risk factors for heart disease.

The top risk factors for developing heart disease include smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, diabetes, excess abdominal fat, overweight and obesity.

 Pulses, such as kidney beans, have shown the ability to lower total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) as effectively as other cholesterol-lowering diets. You might impress your doctor with your cholesterol values the next time you get checked by increasing pulses in your diet and exercising 30 to 60 minutes daily.

February is Heart Health Month, so it’s a good time to start including pulses in your diet. Loaded with fiber and resistant starches, pulses are great for boosting feelings of fullness, increasing metabolism and protecting the digestive system. Beans offer a range of 3 to 8 grams of fiber per half-cup serving.

Pulses are a complex carbohydrate source and don’t raise blood sugar levels as much as several other carbohydrate sources. Diets rich in pulses have been shown to promote lower levels of abdominal fat and can help manage blood sugar levels in diabetes and reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Pulses count as part of the meat and beans group and the vegetable group in the newest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but not both at the same time. One-quarter cup of cooked legumes counts as 1ounce of meat; 5 to 7 ounces are recommended daily. One-half cup of cooked legumes counts as ½ cup of vegetables. The double dose of nutrition packed into pulses makes them a “must-have” in your diet.

Beans are a flavorful, inexpensive way to boost the vitamins and minerals in your diet and help reduce the risk factors for heart disease and other chronic diseases. Current dietary guidelines recommend 3 cups of pulses per week, or about ½ cup per day. Eating them in addition to other vegetables, not instead of them, is best.

Try these creative ideas for increasing your pulse intake:

§  Add cooked or canned black beans, lentils or split peas to your favorite commercial or homemade salsa.

§  Add canned beans to cookie or cake batter to make it more nutritious.

§  Place dry pulses in a crockpot with your favorite vegetables and water to make a hearty stew. Serve over brown rice.

§  Mix cooked or canned pulses with lean ground meat to add fiber to your meatloaf.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

2 Tbsp. margarine (butter optional)

2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped

3 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp. curry powder (or to taste)

2 c. vegetable stock

2 c. chickpeas (cooked or canned, drained and rinsed)

2 c. spinach, loosely chopped

1/2 c. seedless raisins, soaked in warm water

Heat margarine in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until golden. Add garlic and tomatoes.

Cook over low heat until tomatoes (or apples) are soft. In a small bowl, combine flour and

curry powder; stir into onion mixture. Cook to blend into thick paste. Using medium heat,

gradually add stock, chickpeas and spinach, stirring often. Add raisins and cook to desired

thickness. Serve over rice or white fish.

Makes eight servings. Per serving: 150 calories, 2 grams (g) fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 6 g protein,

27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 240 milligrams (mg) sodium, 2.1 mg iron and 36.4 micrograms folate.

For more recipes and information, view the North Dakota State University Extension Service’s publication “Pulses: The Perfect Food” at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1508.pdf.

Schedule

Wednesday, February 9 – Carrington, 4-H Curriculum Meeting

Thursday, February 10 – Burke County, Heart Health Presentation at Baptist Home in Kenmare

Friday, February 11 – Burke County

Monday, February 14 – Burke County

Tuesday, February 15 – Divide County