How beans in toast could revolutionise the British diet

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Beans IN toast could revolutionise the British diet, suggests a new study.

A new project has been set up to slip more UK-grown beans into our daily bread.

The ‘Raising the Pulse’ project plans to encourage British consumers and food producers to switch to bread that contains broad beans to make it healthier and less damaging to the environment.

Unlike imported soya beans currently used in bread, broad beans, also known as faba beans, grow in the UK.

They are also particularly high in easily digested protein, fibre, and iron, which are all nutrients that can be low in UK diets.

However, despite it being an excellent alternative, the majority of faba beans grown in the UK are currently given to animals.

Five teams of researchers within the University of Reading, along with members of the public, farmers, industry, and policy makers, are working together to bring about one of the biggest changes to UK food in generations.

They hope to encourage farmers to switch some wheat producing land to grow faba beans for human consumption.

Professor Julie Lovegrove, who is leading the ‘Raising the Pulse’ research programme, said: “We had to think laterally, ‘What do most people eat and how can we improve their nutrition without them having to change their diets?’ The obvious answer is bread.

“96 per cent of people in the UK eat bread, and 90 per cent of that is white bread, which in most cases contains soya.

“We’ve already performed some experiments and found that faba bean flour can directly replace imported soya flour and some of the wheat flour, which is low in nutrients.

“We can not only grow the faba beans here, but also produce and test the faba bean-rich bread, with improved nutritional quality.”

The team plans to consult and work with members of disadvantaged communities as well as the University of Reading’s student halls of residence and catering outlets.

Matt Tebbit, who runs the University’s catering service and leads the University’s ‘Menus for Change’ research programme, said: “Students will be asked to rate products made or enriched with faba bean, such as bread, flat bread, and hummus.

“They will be asked questions about how full they felt, for how long and their liking of the foods.

“It is hoped that faba bean will improve satiety, as well as providing enhanced nutritional benefits in products that are enjoyable to eat.”

Before there are products to be tested, the beans must be grown, harvested and milled.

The project will be pivotal in this process as the team plans to choose or breed varieties that are healthy as well as high yielding.

They will also work with the soil to improve yield via nitrogen fixing bacteria, mitigate environmental impacts of farming faba beans and plan for the changing climate.

The ‘Raising the Pulse’ project is estimated to cost £2 million and run over three years.

The project began on the 18 January and was published in the journal Nutrition Bulletin.