EAT-Lancet in Action: Harnessing the Power of Pulses

As we outlined in the first part of this series, science shows that adopting the EAT-Lancet Commission’s recommended Planetary Health Diet will improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use, protecting biodiversity and our natural world. While this way of eating is largely plant-based, it's important to recognise many populations (particularly in developing nations) struggle to meet nutritional needs. This makes it critical that any plant-based substitutes for animal-based foods must provide adequate protein and other nutrients, as well as reducing environmental impact. Beans and pulses tick all of these boxes. 

As explained by the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, “Beans and other pulse crops are central to the transition towards a more sustainable agri-food system, providing a simple, scalable and culturally resonant solution to address the converging crises of climate change, malnutrition and food insecurity while increasing the resilience of local and global food systems. Investments in the production and consumption of beans and other pulses have the potential to address the world’s most pressing challenges, including malnutrition, the rise in diet-related non-communicable diseases, biodiversity loss, poverty and inequality, accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.”  

Read on as we explore why beans and pulses are a valuable addition to our plates, highlighting how chefs can work with them in creative ways to serve dishes that are — crucially — truly delicious.  

How can pulses support a healthy population? 

Pulses are the edible seeds of any type of legume; examples include beans, peas and lentils. Rich in both protein and dietary fibre, they also provide plenty of nutrients including iron, potassium and B vitamins. At the same time, they contain no cholesterol and are extremely low in fat. All of this combines to make pulses suitable for a wide range of dietary requirements: they’re vegan, gluten- and lactose-free, diabetic-friendly and heart-healthy.  

Combined with the effects of the climate crisis, our growing global population poses a major challenge when it comes to future food security. Beans and other pulses will play a pivotal role in feeding the world into the future — especially since they can be grown in almost any climate, even in areas threatened by drought, floods and heatwaves. In addition, they’re extremely affordable, making them an accessible protein source for people of any income level and providing essential nutrition for those with low income levels and/or living in developing economies. 

How can pulses support a healthy planet? 

In stark contrast to the vast majority of agriculture, growing beans and pulses is actually beneficial for the environment, making them an incredibly low-impact source of protein. Overall, beans release up to 90% fewer greenhouse gases than some animal proteins, and they require very little land and water.  

What’s more, pulses act as nitrogen fixers, adding nitrogen to the soil around them through the mechanisms of a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. The benefits of this can be seen in the agricultural practices of many Indigenous American peoples such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), who traditionally made good use of this environmental cooperation by planting beans together with corn and squash (often known as the ‘Three Sisters’). The corn stalks would provide natural trellis support for bean tendrils, while the beans would replenish the nitrogen drawn from the soil by the corn. Meanwhile, low-growing broad leaf squash would shade the soil, maintaining moisture levels and deterring the growth of weeds.  

Today, taking their cue from this concept, many regenerative and agroecological farms plant legumes as ‘cover crops’ between successive production crops, since they nourish the soil to the benefit of other plant species. If more farmers can adopt this method, beans and pulses can play an important role in restoring our soil health, supporting biodiversity and reducing or eliminating the need for synthetic fertilisers. Without chemical run-off from agriculture leaking into rivers and lakes, this can also support cleaner waterways and healthier marine ecosystems. 

Farmers cannot commit to grow what we’re not prepared to buy – but if more restaurants showcase pulses as a regular feature on their menus, this will have a very real effect on our food systems and our natural environment. 

Bringing more pulses into the kitchen 

We spoke to Oscar Jonasson, Head Chef at Sodexo Restaurant Björken in Uppsala, Sweden, to learn how he integrates beans into his menus in creative ways. Chef Oscar was part of the team serving dinner at the 2025 EAT Forum in Stockholm, and also participated in Sodexo’s side event, ‘From Collective Dining to Collective Impact’, highlighting the central role of foodservice in scaling up positive change.  

From Oscar’s perspective, pulses are great ingredients to work with. “Beans and pulses are incredibly versatile. You can use them in everything from tacos to burgers to hearty stews to spreads for bread,” he says. “They can bring depth of flavour and enhance the taste and texture of a dish, rather than just replace something. They also pair beautifully with meat; you can blend them into meat-based dishes to retain the rich flavour while making them more nutritious. They’re full of essential nutrients, and they let us create meals that are balanced and satisfying, whether those meals are plant-based or not.” 

There is a wealth of variety available around the world, from runner beans to edamame, chickpeas to black-eyed peas, cannellini beans to lentils. In fact, there are an estimated 40,000 varieties of common bean, with widely different colours, textures and flavours — making them suitable for a wide range of culinary uses. 

Because of this, beans and pulses do an excellent job of displacing a proportion of meat in a dish, reducing the overall meat required per serving and bringing extra fibre and nutrients to the table. “In flavourful dishes like tacos, lasagne or spiced patties, it’s easy to add beans or lentils to the meat,” says Oscar. “The taste remains rich and satisfying, while it is healthier and the environmental footprint is much smaller. Some of our most popular dishes at my restaurant use exactly this approach; guests enjoy the same great flavours, but with a healthy twist.” 

With such a wide variety available, pulses can also act as the main protein in many dishes, bringing fibre and nutrients to stews, curries, salads, dip, sauces, baked goods and even desserts — don’t be afraid to get creative! At King’s College London, they've removed all dairy products from their dishes; white beans have been a key ingredient in this transition, allowing the team to create desserts that still have a familiar mouthfeel, without the dairy.  

Roast or fry beans for a crispy garnish, use chickpea flour as a handy gluten-free thickener or in flatbreads or fritters, or shred and bake tofu for an alternative to kebab-style meat. At London’s Apricity, they use pulses in a vast array of forms. “Our job is to make them fun, good and delicious. They’re all over the menu — starters, mains. It’s so easy for us to play around with them,” said Head Chef Even Seemann in a previous interview with us. “We have chickpea doughnuts. We've got crispy chickpeas. You can make a chickpea pancake that doesn’t taste like cardboard.”  

About Beans is How 

The SRA is a proud member of the Bean Coalition, a multi-sector network collaborating to spread awareness, build momentum and adopt localised engagement strategies to increase production and consumption of pulses. The Beans is How campaign is run in collaboration with the SDG2 Advocacy Hub and Good Food For All.   

  
Targeting restaurants, caterers, cafés, schools and other food providers, #beansonthemenu is a movement designed to increase the number of bean dishes on menus around the world. Chefs and hospitality businesses can play a unique and powerful role in showcasing the versatility of beans and making them a desirable food choice, influencing dietary trends and behaviours towards affordable, healthy, plant-forward diets. Does your restaurant make creative use of beans and other legumes on menus? Join the challenge here!   

You can learn more about the updated EAT-Lancet report here, and find the previous article on bivalves here. Keep an eye out for the remaining pieces in this series; the next article will explore how chefs can help to prevent waste in the supply chain. 

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