The 49p tinned food that can boost your brain, bone and heart health

Chickpeas are often relegated to the back of our kitchen store cupboards, but these humble pulses are true health heroes.

New research by the Illinois Institute of Technology has just revealed that eating chickpeas could significantly lower our cholesterol levels.

The study, which involved 72 participants with pre-diabetes, monitored the effects of daily chickpea over 12 weeks. The findings revealed that those who consumed a daily serving of chickpeas (approximately 160g cooked weight), experienced improved cholesterol levels.

But chickpeas don't just help reduce cholesterol, they are high in vitamins A, E and C and other nutrients including iron and magnesium.

Chickpeas are good for your wallet too, a tin from Tesco will set you back just 49p.

Available to buy in tins or dried in packets, they are easy to incorporate into your diet. Try adding them to stews, pasta and salads or whiz them up with tahini, olive oil and lemon juice to create a delicious, creamy hummus dip.

Indika Edirisinghe, a nutritionist involved in the study said: “Just adding one cup of beans a day can make some big differences.”

He said he likes to have his beans for breakfast ­­­­— chickpeas with coconut. “You can add a little salt and pepper and it’s really good,” he added.

The health benefits of chickpeas

• They are a good source for protein, which is important for bone health.
• Chickpeas are packed full of fibre which benefits our gut health
• They are a good source of zinc which is important for brain health and memory
• Chickpeas are full of antioxidants like polyphenols which are anti-inflammatory.
• They are rich in vitamin B6 and tryptophan, both of which help your body make serotonin, which can then be converted into melatonin, the hormone that helps tell your brain it's time to sleep.

All pulses are good for us

Chickpeas aren't the only pulses that are packed with health benefits.

The same new study also found that black beans can help reduce inflammation in those eating a daily serving of 170g of cooked beans.

Shireen Kassam is a visiting professor in plant-based nutrition at the University of Winchester and explained that pulses have multiple health benefits.

“Pulses are a great addition to the diet,” Kassam explained. “Not only are they associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a healthier weight, but they have also shown to improve both health span and lifespan.

“The majority of people are not eating nearly enough to reap the benefits, yet they can be incorporated into all traditional and cultural diet patterns."

Swap red meat for pulses

Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark have looked at how rising food costs are impacting on the types of food we choose to buy.

They found that almost 40% of people are buying less red meat now and a third of Europeans are also cutting back on how regularly they buy fish and poultry too.

If you’re considering cutting back, pulses are a great substitute.

Why are pulses better for the environment?

Pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint than most foods because they require a smaller amount of fertiliser to grow.

They also have a lower water footprint as they can adapt to semi-arid conditions and tolerate drought stress.

Pulses are easy to store, inexpensive, highly nutritious, and have the ability to enhance the soil microbiome. This has been key in improving farming techniques in low-income rural areas.

“The Indian diet is based on pulses as they are nutritious and affordable,” explains Vandana Shiva, an ecologist and food rights activist.

“They also have a wider environmental benefit; the harvesting of pulses leaves behind nitrogen-rich crop residues that help maintain and increase soil fertility – a far more sustainable process than using synthetic fertilisers."