TORONTO (PasseportSanté.net) February 28, 2008 – Canadians consume few pulses, barely 125 ml (1/2 cup) per capita, on a weekly basis. Yet, they are good for your health in several ways.
“It could be better, as it is recommended to consume 750 ml (3 cups) per week – six times more than current consumption,” said Peter Watts, innovation director at Pulse Canada.1, instigator of the pulse colloquium recently held in Toronto.
An image problem?
The Canadian pulse market is mainly export oriented: 80% of production goes to more than 150 countries2. Only 5% of the dry pulse production in the country is sold directly to consumers.
According to Peter Watts, the image that legumes convey to consumers often boils down to baked beans and pea soup. “We need to raise awareness of their health potential,” he said.
Guelph, Ontario Food Technology Center President Gary Fread adds, “Pulses are a cheaper and healthier source of protein than meat.” In addition to being an excellent source of fiber, he added.
Thousands of recipes
Dissemination of recipes is an essential way to increase awareness and appreciation of pulses among consumers, believes Sara Rose, spokesperson for the American company Bush Brothers and Company, which processes pulses. “Providing recipes is crucial if you want people to adopt pulses,” she said.
The company3 offers 1,000 free recipes for preparing legumes, whether as an appetizer, appetizer, soup, salad or main course. Each recipe can be rated by those who try it out, making it easy to choose what dishes newbies want to cook.
Soon in different foods
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Saskatchewan is not stingy! |
According to researcher John Michaelides of the University of Guelph, it is also to be expected that more food products will contain legume flour in the future. We are already experimenting with new pastas, muffins, crackers, juices and yogurt, in order to find the optimal dosages for health … and for the taste of consumers.
“A lot of research and innovations are going in this direction, because of their potential benefits on satiety, diabetes and celiac disease”, he concluded.
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For more news on legumes, see the index of our Report. |
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Pulse Canada is the Canadian association for the pulse industry. Established in Manitoba since 1997, it brings together producers, processors and traders in the industry. Its website is www.pulsecanada.com [consulté le 29 février 2008].
2. Information taken from the Pulse Canada website.
3. The site address is: www.vegetablewithmore.com. Note that Pulse Canada also provides some recipes (in English and French) at the following address: www.pulsecanada.com/recipes [consultés le 29 février 2008].
