"Just add beans, pulses and lentils"

[Hagrod]

I am sick of hearing this advice given when food poverty is being discussed!

"Just add beans, pulses and lentils to all your meals, they will give you the protein you need to spread expensive meat and fish further [ad infinitum]."

Like many other people, I do not have packets of beans, pulses and lentils nestled at the back of my cupboards just waiting for the day I am so starving I need to add them to a bowl of soup. I would have to go out and buy them, I assume they are not given away for free.

I just think it's such a cliched piece of advice that has been meted out to 'the peasants' for decades now and I wish they'd stop it.

so you have a problem with sound advice? lentils are cheap, nutrient dense/healthy/nutritious and better for the environment than red meat...am not sure what your issue is with this so-called 'peasant' (why??) food ! combine with some veggies and rice and you have a proper, balanced meal.

I think they taste horrible, I dislike the texture. I don't mind kidney beans in a chilli but that's it.

I find it super helpful to stretch out mince by adding lentils. I wish I'd thought about it earlier. I can get an extra portion or two out of a lasagne.

"Very low" is not the same as "none". And her reaction was definitely not a case of "oh, a little bit won't do you any harm": it did. Given that he had been told immediately before he said it that even a minute amount of milk caused her to suffer considerable pain, it was a silly suggestion. Cheese is made of milk; some cheese contains less lactose than other cheese does, but no cheese made with milk contains no lactose.

I'm sure that if she could have continued to eat cheese she would have done, since she loved the taste of it; but after her arthritis was finally diagnosed as being caused by lactose, she found after a few weeks that even a small amount of cheese definitely made the arthritis come back. As did even such small and silly things as her cup of black coffee having been stirred using a spoon that had been previously used to stir milky coffee. And the effect happened even when she had no idea that milk had been involved in her food at all.

I think she managed to discover two non-milk "cheese" types which tasted enough like cheese for her to think them worth having, but they were hard to find, and I can't remember what they were called now.

This thread will turn into a competitive lentil eating thread. The vegans will win.

Please don't encourage helpless/hopeless defeatism.

Every public library is free and has shelves of cook books with pictures. Charity shops have dirt cheap cook books.

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And you don't wait until you are starving. It's just a way to eek out meat a bit longer.

No lentils absolutely require soaking before cooking. If I'm cooking puy lentils for a salad-type thing I'll soak them first, but brown, green and red lentils will all cook fine from dried in a stew/soup/chilli in the time you would ordinarily simmer it. They really don't take long - you just need to make sure there's sufficient liquid.

With lentils soaking is more about potentially easing any digestive issues (though I don't think this is entirely proven) or just cutting down on cooking time.

I'd encourage anybody who's willing to try bulking out meat with lentils in a bolognese, for example, to also try it once with just lentils and no meat. It's really good!

Does anyone else fart and shit themselves after lentils or is it just me?

Yes then the advice is not for those who can't eat them obviously

I have a truck load of beans and lentils,dried and tinned.vI did pay for them, but not as much as I would have to pay for meat .I love them and eat them several times a week.

No I don't. Chickpeas make me ill though.

My IBS could never

I eat a lot of beans, pulses, nuts and seeds because I want to reduce the amount of meat that I consume and still take onboard plenty of protein.

I kind of understand that you feel fed up with the food poverty recipes posted everywhere at the moment though. I was reading an article earlier about eating on a budget and was dismayed to see a selection of recipes comprising mostly of pasta, lentils, carrots and tinned tomatoes. Of course, it’s a cheap way to eat and fill tummies, but all the advice on budget eating seems to have a severe lack of fresh vegetables and variety of nutrition.

It’s a crime that so many people are having to exist without adequate food.

They are a cheap way to stretch out other more expensive ingredients BUT not everyone can eat them. I get VERY “uncomfortable” if I eat most pulses. I have IBS and am supposed to avoid them.

Then obviously they advice is not for them

Yes I understand that. It’s hard to know how to help.
I cook and do budgeting stuff with my girl guides.

I post a lot with another lady on a facebook group. It’s aimed at weight loss but lots of ideas save money too. Both of us have started posting more money saving tips which have been well received eg Lidl veg box but I suspect if we tried to do it in a community group we would just be seen as patronising do gooders.

Not sure why there is such horror at the idea of pasta with beans - there are plenty of classic Italian recipes combining the two.
Morrisons world food aisle have an offer of 5 tins for £2.00 at the moment.

Realistically how are people in food poverty supposed to 'add lentils'? Add them to what? A lot of people survive on random items like bread, cereal, yoghurt etc

I'm the same - I don't even really like kidney beans very much. I love veggies, and I'm not particularly a fussy easy but it's the texture of these that I don't like. Every recipe suggestion is always beans, pulses or lentils which is an instant turn off for me. Fair enough if you like them, but not for me.

Realistically how are people in food poverty supposed to 'add lentils'? Add them to what? A lot of people survive on random items like bread, cereal, yoghurt etc

A homemade lentil and potato soup will be healthier and cheaper than shop bought cereal.

Why is it MC? Do working class people not like pulses? Isn't that a bit patronising?

Useless advice for me cos I can’t eat them for health reasons! Other half eats them though so always gave some in!

deliciouslyella.com/recipes/sweet-potato-black-bean-shepherds-pie/

This is a very nice recipe that’s always gone down very well with meat eaters when I’ve made it if you are wanting to try and eat more beans & pulses (I know it’s not budget recipe before I get jumped on)

You are wrong. Cooking on the hob for about half an hour on a pre-payment meter will cost 35 to 40p. Plus ingredients. A large box of cereal is about 60 to 70p.

@Dixiechickonhols Thanks for that I will try it. It is not a cheap meal though.