Alberta Pulse Growers is working to increase awareness and consumption of pulses among the younger generation.
A one-year partnership with School Sports Alberta (SSA), formerly the Alberta Schools Athletic Association, hopes to help student athletes as they search for peak performance in their diets.
WHY IT MATTERS: Increasing domestic consumption of pulse crops with young families helps keep the market for farmers’ crops closer to home.
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The partnership, which involves more than 400 schools, includes placing the Alberta pulse logo at athletic events, organizing information booths and featuring the Pulse to Plate campaign as part of the SSA’s Wellness Wednesday program.
“There’s an opportunity to provide recipes I think kids would like and that will help them fuel their success, meet their goals nutritionally,” said Debra McLennan, food and nutrition co-ordinator with Alberta Pulse Growers.
“Something that is quick, easy and delicious, thinking of a food that they may not have realized that there’s a variety of ways you can eat that food. It then links them back to our website to learn more.”
SSA is building a nutrition tab on its website where pulses can be featured.
Efforts to increase Canadian pulse consumption have been a slow but sure voyage.
In 2016, the United Nations declared the International Year of Pulses. Since then, more acres have been dedicated to pulses in Canada, along with increases in domestic consumption.
“There’s a huge increase in value-add opportunities,” McLennan said.
“You’re seeing more foods on grocery store shelves with pulses, whether it’s pea protein or pea fibre. You’re seeing snacks that include pulses that you can grab a bag, just like you grab a bag of potato chips.”
Older millennials now have children in school sports who are looking for environmentally sustainable, healthy and economical alternatives. The price of beef is skyrocketing, which pulses are not meant to replace, but complement, to create a solid diet for student athletes.
“Our producers that grow pulses may also have cattle or livestock on their farm. We’re not saying, ‘Don’t eat that,’ but recognizing adding pulses for cost is a great way to extend a recipe,” McLennan said.
“You’re making chili and you want to feed a crowd. Still buy your one pound of ground beef, but then add more beans to it. So now you can take your recipe from six to eight servings to maybe eight to 10 servings.”
Pulses can be a good food to eat before athletic activities, but are particularly beneficial afterward. They are a good source of protein, which is crucial for muscle repair, along with fibre, iron, B vitamins and antioxidants.
A lack of knowledge about how to introduce pulses to existing recipes without altering flavour can often be a hurdle for young families with student athletes.
“Did you know you can add cooked lentils to a smoothie to increase your protein and fibre? Did you know you can puree white beans and add them to your baking, again, to add protein and fibre and help reduce the fat?” said McLennan.
“The recipe developer that we work with, I always ask her, think of pantry staples. Think of what the typical Albertan would have in their pantry. Let’s come up with some recipes that are like that. Sometimes it’s a longer recipe, but most often it’s a shorter, easy-to-do recipe.”
The Alberta Pulse Growers website offers plenty of recipes for school sports families to try.
“We’ve developed quite a few meal prep type of recipes you can prep and throw into a container, throw them in the cooler, and away you go,” said McLennan.
“It’s fairly new (partnership) for us. We’re excited to be able to share some information with the new audience.”
