News Release

Dec. 28, 2015 - Many cultures have a tradition of eating dried beans, peas, or lentils on New Year’s Eve. The round, coin-shaped seeds and their ability to expand when cooked provide a visual link to increasing prosperity. They are also an expression of frugality, giving rise to the saying, “Eat poor on New Year’s, and eat fat the rest of the year.” But there are a few more reasons why enjoying beans, peas, or lentils on December 31—or any other day—could improve your new year.

Dried beans, peas, and lentils—foods known internationally as pulses—provide an affordable, shelf-stable source of protein. They offer a plate of nutrient-dense amino acids, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, fiber, folate, and other B vitamins. They’re tasty, too.

“Pulses are a gift from nature,” says researcher B. B. Singh. “They are a poor man’s meat and a rich man’s health food.”

Researchers find consumption of pulses staves off many chronic diseases. Diets that contain more pulses result in lower rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. New research also suggests eating pulses feeds the “good” bacteria in the intestines, healing leaky intestines and lowering inflammation.

With all the benefits pulses offer, consider changing your New Year’s tradition. Instead of eating 365 beans on December 31 for new year’s luck, add beans to your diet every day.

“We want to increase awareness of the importance of beans and other pulse crops to human health,” says Henry Thompson, professor and researcher at Colorado State University. Thompson has collaborated on research that supports the clinical evidence between higher bean consumption and a reduction in cancer risk. “Beans are high in fiber and protein, and have many healthy attributes,” says Thompson.

Fortunately, it is easy to find products that contain pulses. “They are ‘on-trend’ as a food ingredient,” says Janice Rueda with ADM Edible Bean Specialties. “More products today have beans as the first ingredient. Even as a secondary ingredient, the overall nutrition of the product increases when pulses are included.” Rueda points to the increase in chips, snack bars, breakfast cereals, and even beverages that contain nutrient-rich bean ingredients. “Beans put the ‘better’ in ‘better-for-you’ foods,” she says.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP), http://www.fao.org/pulses-2016/en/. In celebration of IYP, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) created a web page for the public about pulses, www.crops.org/iyp. Special tabs for the public include K-12 Education, Beans in the News, Grown Your Own, and Delicious Ideas. CSSA has also compiled links to various recipes, so you can increase your consumption of pulses.

CSSA will release more information about pulses during 2016 as they continue the IYP celebration.