Everyone is chasing expensive powders, rare berries and fancy supplements to live longer. Meanwhile, one of the most useful foods for healthy ageing costs very little and sits on the bottom shelf of the supermarket.
Beans and pulses.
When I was growing up in Sardinia, winter meant beans. They went into soups and stews, simmered slowly, and nobody thought of them as “superfood”. They were just what you ate when the weather turned cold.
My mother soaked all of them overnight. When you are cooking for a family of five, that matters, because a packet of dried beans or pulses costs less than buying tins, and your money goes a bit further. Looking back now as a nutritionist, I can see how much those bowls were doing for us.
Pulses are rich in fibre, which feeds your gut bacteria and supports a more diverse microbiome. They are also a good source of plant protein, which matters more as we age, because we need to protect our muscle. They tend to keep blood sugar steadier than refined carbohydrates, and they keep you full for longer.
The research is encouraging too. Studies of large groups of people have linked regular pulse eating with better heart health and longer life. These are observational studies, so they show an association, not proof. But the pattern is consistent, and it matches what we see in traditional diets that include beans every week.
But we are talking about modern longevity, and modern life is busy. Soaking takes no time at all: put the beans in a container of water before you go to bed, and they are ready to cook in the morning. If you don’t have the time or the energy for even that, a tin is a perfectly good alternative. Rinse the beans under the tap first, which washes away much of the added salt, and they are ready to use. Chickpeas in a tomato sauce, butter beans in a soup, lentils in a stew, cannellini beans with greens and olive oil.
That is the opposite of the “miracle” products I talked about earlier this week. No celebrity endorsement, no premium price, no clever packaging. Just a simple food that has fed people for generations.
As the weather gets colder, this is the season for it.
Not sure how to build more pulses into your week without getting bored? Get in touch and we’ll plan it together, in a way that suits your taste and your budget.
Prevention rather than cure.
Milvia Pili
Functional Nutritional Therapist
