I would like to provide my answers to two questions posed during the webinar "Pulses for Food Security and Nutrition" and that we could not answer due to lack of time.
Question posed by Mohamed:
What are the specific advantages of pulses for small children?
Pulses represent a good source of plant-based protein, B vitamins and minerals which are important nutrients for growth. A common problem regarding complementary feeding, especially in some developing countries, is that young children are fed thin, watery cereal-based porridges that cannot supply them with the energy and nutrients they need for growth. Therefore pulses are a good choice to include in complementary feeding as part of a diversified diet.
Question posed by Mona Dhamankar:
Is it true that one needs to eat large quantities of pulses in order to meet the recommended daily allowance of protein? as compared to animal protein?
Yes, it is true. Protein content of meat, for example, is double the content of cooked beans. So to have the same amount of protein, a person needs to eat a larger portion of pulses. Moreover, it is also important to remember that in order to increase the protein quality of meals we can consume pulses with cereals to have a “complete” amino acid profile.
The recording to the full webinar is also online and available at this link: http://bit.ly/1U7sEuS
Fernanda Grande