Converting pulses to 1st class protein

[willia]

Although not a vegetarian, I very seldom eat red meat, and enjoy a vegetarian diet.

I have always understood that pulses are a second class protein, and are converted to first class by combining with carbohydrates ...am I right, or is there new thinking?

[Hidden]

Carbohydrates can be categorised by the glycemic index (GI) into good and bad carbohydrates. A high GI food would cause your sugar levels to rise rapidly and are generally not seen as good for you. Low GI food would allow your sugar levels to remain far more stable. There are many sites on the internet which will point to the benefits of low GI carbs and this is a link to one of them commonsensehealth.com/good-...

This one points you in the direction of proportions of carbohydrates to other nutrients

bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebites...

There are always varying opinions, but the above form the standard for many people.

I hope this is of use to you

[Penel]

Hi Willia

Pulses tend not to contain as much protein as meat, but they do contain fibre etc, so you could consider them as just a different form of protein rather than second class. The 'food combining' I think you are referring to, does not seem to have any backing from science, but has formed the basis of several 'diets'.

Eat them however you like.

If you're not eating red meat, make sure you are getting your B12 elsewhere.

[Hidden in reply to Penel]

Marmite covers any missing bits of vitamin b.

[Hidden]

Thank you for the post. I get lost by the science sometimes, because I've not had time to read and study the various scientific papers. The article you posted does support the limited findings from the studies I've done so far.

I must confess to getting a little concerned with an almost obsessive interest in calories alone. This is encouraged by calorie counting. Although I started dieting counting calories and it remains part of my diet regime, I'm becoming a lot more aware of "balance" within my diet.

I feel the NHS calculator may actually be misdirecting some as to which foods are healthy. The following is an extract from the calculator and I feel that it does not tell the whole story.

Brazil Nuts Quantity Serving size Brazil Nuts

QuantityServing size 3 whole nuts, 10g, 68kCal, 7g Fat

I must confess to being a little frustrated with the amount of information available regarding "nutrients".

Thank you for your post. It's got me revisiting some of the food theories that have been put forward by various people.

[Andyt2120]

Works for me too bigleg

[Hidden]

Lentils taste great wth aubergines, with great spicing in daal, or cold in finely chopped salad of cucumbers, parsley, onion and sundried tomatoes. I don't claim to understand the science but I like lentils. Worth trying different types. Boil up a load and divide into small batches and freeze then they're ready for when you need them

[Annde70]

Willia, You have been given a good response by bigieg. Proteins come in two types, complete and incomplete. Protein is made up of amino acids, all of which are required by the body. Complete Protein contains all of the amino acids and can be found in meat and Fish. Incomplete proteins contai only some of the amino acids, and different beans and pulses contain different versions of the amino acids. It therefore follows that by eating meat or fish you get Complete proteins and all of the amino acids your body needs but if you eat only beans and pulses to get your protein you need to eat a great variety to ensure you are consuming all the necessary amino acids, thus combining a selection of incomplete proteins to make a complete protein component of your diet

Clear as mud hey?

Hope this helps, it has nothing to do with carbohydrate consumption