Pulses – a general term we use for peas, beans and lentils – are the stuff of Indian food which is associated with a strong dimension of vegetarianism and healthy living. So ever wondered why many of them are named after animals and birds? We have for example, “horsegram,” “cowpea,” “pigeonpea,” “mothbean” and “chickpea,” among others.

One story is that our former colonial overlords (the English), having no experience of these foods in their own culture, found them being used here to feed animals. (Actually, mostly the skins and lowest quality materials were fed to animals.) Almost because of this association, pulses are still held in low esteem by bureaucrats and policy makers even though they are nutritionally more appropriate for the human body than more expensive sources of protein like meat.

Like I’ve said so many times in this column, Indian foods and recipes are generally wise and therefore has lasted for over 5,000 years. The pulses are a classic showcase of this wisdom. Compared to meat and eggs, pulses are natural products that result from a simple mixture of sunlight, soil nutrients and water. Many of them – those that result from legumes – even add nitrogen to the soil through nodules in their roots. Thus they add nutrients to the soil instead of depleting it.

Pulses are also grown mainly in those areas which are not used for higher value cereals like wheat or rice. 85% of pulses actually come from low rainfall or dryland areas which do not have access to irrigation. This means they are generally grown without chemical fertilizers. Perhaps for this reason, they are nutritionally more balanced. They in fact supply all our protein.

The problem is pulse crops are not absolutely safe from insects; and farmers, even if they do not use chemicals for feeding the plants, are nowadays using poisons for protecting them. Laboratory tests of pulses have shown that they do have pesticide residues though far far less than those found in fresh vegetables, fruits or grains like wheat and rice.

Thus it is all the more important that we ensure we eat pulses that are not subjected to dangerous pesticides.

Another problem with pulses available today is the use of pesticides during storage. As any housewife knows, affected pulses will have tiny holes in them. To prevent such damage, traders will use deadly pesticides and fungicides in their godowns.

One way to get out of this is to consume pulses as dhals. A dhal is a pulse with its skin removed and split into two. “Dhal” actually means “split”. The pesticide goes with the skin.

However, whole pulses can be sprouted whereas dhals cannot. Sprouts are greater storehouses of nutrition and in these days of high vegetables prices, can be a good substitute.

For the above reasons, look more carefully at the sources from which you get your pulses. I buy mine from Khadi stores which keep well graded pulses of various kinds. Otherwise, the only other option is to collect supplies from organic stores in your city.

As everyone knows, pulses are getting costlier by the day so that forget about the animals, even ordinary unprivileged Indians are finding it difficult to consume them in the quantities they are accustomed. We are producing less pulses because entire States like Madhya Pradesh are now growing soybean for the consumption of European cattle and dairy herds. But the Europeans are not returning the compliment and growing pulses for us since they don’t eat them in any case. So we have to fight among ourselves for scarce supplies. India is the main region for growing pulses. If we don’t grow them, no one else really will.

The problem is without rajmas, chana, masur and tuar dal, urid, mattar or moong, we lose a huge bit of ourselves. What in fact would Indian food be without rasam or chole. So get out there and demand more pulses. You can do so by eating more of them in place of meat. And while you’re at it, ensure they are grown without poisons as well.

(Published in Prevention Magazine)