(NaturalHealth365)  The American Cancer Society (ACS) has projected that over 1,900,000 new cancer cases and approximately 600,000 cancer deaths will occur in the United States in 2023.  As cancer rates continue to rise, prioritizing cancer prevention strategies is becoming increasingly important.  Most people understand the role of healthy eating and exercise in reducing cancer risk, but one often overlooked food group can make a big difference: pulses.

Despite their importance, pulses are not commonly emphasized in our diets.  Keep reading to learn more about this overlooked food group and its cancer-fighting properties.

Power of pulses: A nutrient-rich addition to your anti-cancer diet

Pulses, which include beans, lentils, and peas, are some of the healthiest foods you can add to your diet. They’re packed with fiber, protein, and other important nutrients that can help keep you healthy, reduce your risk of chronic diseases and prevent cancer.  When combined with other cancer-protective foods like vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruits, pulses can be even more effective in reducing your risk of cancer.

One of the key nutrients found in pulses is folate, a B vitamin that’s essential for healthy cell growth and division.  Studies have shown that diets rich in folate can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, including colon and breast cancer.  Folate also plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of your DNA, which helps prevent mutations that can lead to cancer development.

In addition to folate, pulses also contain phytochemical polyphenols, natural compounds that help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.  This makes pulses an excellent choice for boosting your body’s natural defenses against cancer.

Boost your fiber intake and nourish your gut microbiome

If you are like most people, you struggle to reach the recommended daily fiber intake.  High-fiber diets complete with plenty of vegetables and fruits plus beans, may be low in flavor (to some people).  However, properly flavored pulses, including chickpeas in hummus form can be quite delicious, boost fiber intake, and thereby reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

Merely half a cup of pulses adds eight grams of dietary fiber, helping you reach a healthy goal of 30 grams of fiber per day.  Pulses are comprehensive in that they provide multiple types of prebiotic fiber.  Such fermentable fiber promotes the formation of healthy bacteria within the gut.  Studies show that the gut microbes’ generation of short-chain fatty acids created through prebiotics decreases inflammation, preventing the formation of bile acid in the stomach that leads to cellular damage and subsequent cancer.

Delicious and versatile ways to incorporate pulses into your diet

The truth is: incorporating pulses into your diet is easy and delicious.  You can add them to soups, stews, and salads or even use them as a substitute for meat in some dishes.  Lentils, for example, can be used to make a flavorful vegetarian chili, while chickpeas can be roasted and used as a crunchy snack.  With so many different types of pulses available, there are endless possibilities for incorporating them into your meals.  Of course, be sure to only consume organic varieties to reduce your exposure to unwanted chemicals.

Overall, adding pulses to your diet is a simple and effective way to improve your health and help prevent cancer.  Make your hummus at home, combining mashed chickpeas with tahini, dill, and lemon juice; use it as a dip or add it to lunch wraps and you’ll up your intake of cancer-fighting pulses while pleasing your taste buds.  So why not incorporate more nutritious foods into your meals today?  Your body will thank you!

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Sources for this article include:

Cancerhealth.com
ACSJournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com