The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC) is excited to celebrate Pulses Week from February 10 to 16, in line with World Pulses Day, which is celebrated globally on February 10. This year's campaign, "Love Your Legumes," aims to inspire Australians to increase their legume intake.
Legumes, including beans, peas, lupins, and chickpeas, are nutritional powerhouses, offering essential nutrients such as protein, dietary fibre, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. A diet low in legumes is one of Australia's leading dietary risk factors that contributes to the burden of disease. Despite their numerous nutritional benefits, most Australians are not consuming enough legumes, with an average intake of 19.3 grams daily.
Legume consumption is linked to improved overall health and a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Kathy La Macchia, the GLNC General Manager, emphasises, “With over 571,000 Australians over 18 years of age living with cardiovascular disease, and almost 1.2 million people living with type 2 diabetes, there’s never been a more important time to love your legumes.”
One of the most significant barriers to legume consumption is that people aren’t aware of how to cook them. To help tackle this issue, the GLNC has invited a group of leading health professionals to a special legume-themed cooking class at OzHarvest in Sydney. This class will focus on the benefits of legumes and how to prepare them, aiming to inspire attendees to cook with more legumes and share what they learn with their clients and communities.
To make legume consumption more accessible, the GLNC is partnering with leading not-for-profit organisations, nutritionists, dietitians, government groups and food manufacturers, including Australian Expert Grains Innovation Centre, Arnott’s Group, Allied Pinnacle, Bakers Delight, Cereal Partners Worldwide, Greenwheat Freekeh, George Weston Foods, Kraft Heinz, Laucke, Sanitarium, Sunbites, The Healthy Grain, and v2food. Together, they have created a free eBook containing 50 delicious recipes showcasing legumes.
GLNC is raising awareness throughout the week through various channels, including articles, podcasts, and collaborations with health-qualified influencers on social media.
For free resources, including the recipe eBook, podcast episodes and more, visit www.glnc.org.au/pulses-week-2025
About us:
The Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC) is the independent authority on the nutrition and health benefits of grains and legumes. As a not-for-profit health promotion charity, GLNC is dedicated to providing accurate, evidence-based information.
Contact details:
Toni Gam, GLNC Industry Engagement Manager
e.tonig@glnc.org.au
