from the reduced-sugar-treats-for-vampires dept.
Submitted via IRC for BoyceMagooglyMonkey
Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study.
Prof. Alison Duncan, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, and Dan Ramdath of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, found that swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can significantly improve your body's response to the carbohydrates.
Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop.
"Pulses are extremely nutrient-dense food that have the potential to reduce chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels," said Duncan, who worked on the study with PhD student Dita Moravek and M.Sc. students Erica Rogers, Sarah Turkstra and Jessica Wilson.
Dita Moravek, Alison M Duncan, Laura B VanderSluis, Sarah J Turkstra, Erica J Rogers, Jessica M Wilson, Aileen Hawke, D Dan Ramdath. Carbohydrate Replacement of Rice or Potato with Lentils Reduces the Postprandial Glycemic Response in Healthy Adults in an Acute, Randomized, Crossover Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 2018; 148 (4): 535 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxy018
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @07:29PM (2 children)
In case anyone was wondering about why they chose to substitute lentils:
It seems like you could get similar results from something besides lentils.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Saturday June 16 2018, @07:49PM
But what is a "pulse?" Is it not simply a bean, a legume?
Well, I found https://pulses.org/nap/what-are-pulses/ which appears to be some sort of industry promotion site which informs me that no, "pulses" are a subset of legumes. Exactly how the subset is defined seems a bit confused, however. This looks like a pretty clear definition: "the term “pulse” refers only to the dry edible seed within the pod." But by that definition my peanuts would be pulses and they seem very, very clear that peanuts are not pulses. Why not? Did the peanut guys refuse to join the group?
Wikipedia is far from reliable but at the moment at least it seems to have something of value to say on the subject. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_%28legume%29#Terminology
"The term "pulse", as used by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed.[2] This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are seeds that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and seeds which are used exclusively for sowing forage (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common usage, these distinctions are not always clearly made, and many of the varieties used for dried pulses are also used for green vegetables, with their beans in pods while young."
So, ok, I think I'm going to go with a pulse is a dried bean, including my peanuts. I don't care which industry consortium pays for which ad, tasty dried beans are tasty dried beans.
Personally, I think lentils go with a savory stew, black-eyed peas with grits (polenta for the euros) and eggs make a perfect breakfast, and if you've never had split-pea soup with pancakes for lunch you just haven't lived.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Sunday June 17 2018, @03:10AM
Yes, legumes was the first to jump to mind. And dried peas. Why dry? And all peas are good but must be dried?
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @07:33PM (5 children)
No really?!? Eating less carbohydrates reduces blood sugar? Who'd have thunk it!
Geniuses, total geniuses.
Let me guess: at the same time, the pathways for metabolizing protein were also activated by the lentils? What a fascinating finding! I'm so very much surprised!
(Score: 3, Informative) by drussell on Saturday June 16 2018, @07:52PM (1 child)
It seems that it is more than that, though...
The lentils still contain significant carbohydrates but seem to be delaying, moderating and somewhat blocking the uptake and creation of high glucose levels in the blood.
Though not entirely unexpected, given the various benefits of these legumes, it is actually very interesting that it seems to act this strongly in relatively modest concentrations. They only replaced half the rice with lentil in the study, for example...
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday June 16 2018, @09:04PM
It wasn't clear if they replaced half a serving, while still providing the other half, or if half a serving was all that was being consumed by these people who were trying to lose weight.
Still unsaid was how much lentils were added to the diet.
Was it based on weight or volume or what?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @08:55PM (2 children)
Lentils = 63% carbs
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @09:31PM (1 child)
Sugars, starches, and fibers are all considered carbs though, so that's not super informative... Lentils, and legumes in general, have a much lower glycemic index than either potatos or rice, which is why I'm not surprised at all by this study.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @04:00PM
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @08:38PM
"a first-ever University of Guelph study"
Congratulations, University of Guelph, you conducted your "first-ever" study.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday June 16 2018, @09:06PM (10 children)
There is a reason lentils stewed/curried lentils over rice are such a popular dish. They're cheap, easy, delicious, healthy, and even give you a complete protein. I noticed way back in high school that all successful cultures have figured out that pulse + whole grain = complete protein. It was lentils and wheat in the ancient Near East, corn and common beans in Mesoamerica, soybeans and rice in south China, etc etc.
If the US ag sector is smart, especially as drought conditions worsen, we'll see a shift to grain-and-pulse pairing in farming. I'd suggest three areas of concentration: tepary beans, teff, and sorghum.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday June 16 2018, @09:18PM
chickpea lyfe
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by corey on Saturday June 16 2018, @10:37PM (1 child)
Yeah, and its also a cheap food. Here in Oz its about $5 per kg for dried lentils. Once cooked a kg becomes more lime 2-3 kg. Compare that to beef at over $18 per kg or chicken at $12 per kg.
If I was struggling to pay the bills, I'd be switching most of my meat to lentils.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday June 16 2018, @10:52PM
That's reasonable (3.72 USD, ~1.69 USD/lb), but I try to get it (or any kind of dried legumes) at 1 USD / lb or less.
Red lentils also cook incredibly quick. Slap some tomato sauce and spices in there, put it on rice.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @12:13AM (3 children)
Grain and pulse pairing?
You mean, like, say, maize/corn and soy?
Like most of the midwest?
What sort of shift do you mean?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday June 17 2018, @04:23AM (2 children)
A shift to one that's more drought-tolerant. Look up the conditions teff and tepary beans grow in, and compare to corn and soybeans.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 18 2018, @05:40PM (1 child)
Ain't that simple.
For starters, not all of the midwest is expected to get less water under best simulations of expected climate change.
Changing practices mean less water used, and less water lost.
The soils aren't the same, and in areas that have been doing the stripmine-and-replace-with-petrochemicals style of monocrop farming, you won't get a lot of return without more of the same - and you won't win any prizes for figuring out that water isn't really the limiting factor on productivity there.
I mean, sure, you could do it. You could also go bust doing it.
Agronomy is hard.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday June 18 2018, @07:14PM
Oh, definitely. One of the things I was studying in college was soil remediation (of course, we all know how *that* went...). I'm not sure it's even possible to restore natural soils to the region in any time frame at all, let alone in a way that doesn't mean we all starve. We can't exactly fallow the entire Midwest with clover for half a decade, even *if* the soil hadn't been more or less strip-mined, as you put it.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday June 17 2018, @02:29AM
They also work surprisingly well in vegetarian burritos, and they play very nice with guacamole and other Mexicanny things.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Sunday June 17 2018, @03:13PM (1 child)
What about Northern Europe (the most succssful culture ever?)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday June 17 2018, @07:40PM
Caucasians have ANE and Caucasus Mountains origins. That far north, people have adapted to dairying and fishing, though agriculture of course is still a going concern. As far as I know, their cereal crops are wheat and rye with some oats? Will admit I don't know too much about the Nordic ag sector...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @09:15PM
But I love Cajun rice and (red) beans. And the South Indian idli-sambar.
What's this bullshit about "blood glucose?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 16 2018, @10:16PM
Don't believe a fucking word.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @12:23AM
Having so many diabetics farting.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @01:27AM (3 children)
May I suggest black lentils as the best of all lentil varieties.
They are small and therefore lack a tough skin like some other varieties (esp. green) have.
They also are more flavorful.
For a simple dish, simmer in chicken stock (you can also use a buillon cube), and when tender, add pepper to taste, salt if necessary. But not too much of either or the flavor of the lentils will be overpowered. Letils + quinoa make a great side dish.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday June 17 2018, @02:31AM (1 child)
You are a true wimp, not man enough for the honor of chewing real meals. Do you consider Gerber babby food "haute cuisine?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @03:20AM
For those averse to chewing, I've heard good things about the meat smoothie.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday June 18 2018, @07:17PM
That does sound good, though I'd rather not take food from the mouths of South American peoples by monopolizing their native grain. Rice works just fine; I'm actually just finishing up a bowl of brown rice/green lentil kichari with a heavily-spiced sautee'd-onion tadka in it. Surprisingly good for consisting of rice, lentils, oil, spices, and onion, and cheap too.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...