What’s the difference between beans and pulses?
For the purposes of this campaign 1) Beans are defined as the seeds of legumes 2) Pulses are defined as the dried seeds of legumes. So all dried beans are pulses but not all pulses are beans! Other pulses are lentils and peas, and while our main focus is beans, these have lots of the same benefits, like being affordable and nutrition-packed.
How can our diets benefit from more beans?
The Scottish diet is too high in processed and red meat and too low in both fibre and vegetables. Furthermore, the Cost-of-Living crisis has exacerbated inequalities and food poverty making it even more difficult for many people to consume a nutritious diet. Beans can provide one of five daily portions of vegetables (as recommended by the NHS Eatwell Guide), along with a good amount of fibre and protein, and are a cost effective measure towards consuming a healthy diet. Beans used to be a staple food in the UK, but today people here consume fewer pulses than the world average.
Can we grow beans and pulses in Glasgow?
Not all pulses are suitable for commercial growing in the British climate, but the commonly grown crops are fava beans, marrowfat peas and large blue peas. Broad beans, haricot, runner bean, borlotti, cannellini, lentils and chickpeas can also be grown as small-scale crops and some commercial growers are already experimenting with crop varieties eg. UK grown lentils and navy beans. Stay tuned throughout the sowing and harvest months for more information on Glasgow growing.