Beans, Peas May Help You Slim Down

Have you ever eaten “pulses”? There’s a good chance you have – and you may want to start eating more of them.

Pulses are the edible seeds of legumes. They include kidney beans, lima beans, butter beans, chick peas, black-eyed peas and lentils – available canned or dried.

Nutritionists already praise pulses as an excellent source of fiber, protein and vitamins. But a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that adults who added pulses to their daily diet lost more weight than those who didn’t eat them. And, there was no other special effort involved. The feeling of fullness can help people eat less and consume fewer calories without feeling hungry.

Pulses have other benefits too. They may help lower blood levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. They also have a low glycemic index. Glycemic index measures how foods that contain carbohydrates raise blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index raise your blood sugar more than foods with a low glycemic index.