Eating one serving a day of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils could contribute to weight loss, suggests a study published in ‘The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’.
Researchers at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Canada, have found that eating about 3/4 cup (130 grams) each day of these foods known as pulses led to a weight loss of 0.34 kilograms (just over half a pound). Study participants had added a single serving of pulses to their diet without making any effort to reduce other foods. The research builds on the team’s previous work which has found that a daily serving of pulses makes people feel fuller than if they ate a control diet, and that eating pulses can significantly reduce ‘bad cholesterol’. Pulses have a low glycaemic index and they increase the feeling of fullness by 31%, which may result in less food intake.