Dried pulses in bags are a good choice when you can plan ahead for cooking. Tins and jars cut down on preparation time, while ready meals call for a careful look at the recipe and salt content. If someone is losing weight unintentionally, is malnourished or has chronic kidney disease, their food choices should be discussed with the healthcare professionals looking after them.
If you regularly prepare meals for an older person, a bag of dried pulses can be stored and used across several meals. The choice between lentils, split peas and beans will also depend on the dishes they enjoy and how much time you have to cook.
If cooking dried pulses is difficult to fit into your daily routine, tins, jars and ready meals can make preparation quicker. You should still check the ingredients list and nutritional information for each recipe.
If someone is losing weight unintentionally, is malnourished, has chronic kidney disease or has been given dietary instructions, the most convenient format is not enough to determine what is suitable. The French National Authority for Health and the French health insurance system outline situations that require an assessment or individualised monitoring.
Start by weighing up how much time you can spend cooking and how prepared you want the product to be. Then consider the variety, texture and ingredients to find an option you’ll actually use in your meals.
Choose these if: you can plan ahead for cooking and use the bag across several meals.
Bear in mind: preparation steps vary by variety; some beans, for example, need to be soaked.
Choose these if: you need to add pulses to a dish quickly, without cooking them from dried.
Check: plain pulses and seasoned recipes don’t necessarily have the same ingredients or salt content.
Choose these if: preparing the other formats isn’t practical for the older person or their relative.
Check: the recipe, listed allergens and portion size, rather than treating the meal as plain pulses.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Storage and use | The weight of the bag and whether you can use the chosen variety in the meals you have planned. | If I’m preparing several meals, I want a bag I can store and use up. Around 40% of consumers prioritise this need to plan ahead. |
| Preparation time | Soaking and cooking instructions, or whether the pulses are already cooked. | When cooking takes too long, I look for pulses that are simple to serve. Speed is the main priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Enjoying mealtimes | The variety, intended portion size and a texture the person is happy to eat. | If dried pulses don’t feature often in my usual meals, I’d rather introduce them gradually. Enjoying mealtimes comes before other criteria for around 20% of consumers. |
| Dietary monitoring | The ingredients and nutritional information to review with the professionals looking after the person. | When a dietary prescription or health condition affects someone’s diet, I need to know whether the product is suitable for their needs. This is the priority for around 10% of consumers. |
Dried pulses need storage space and time to prepare. A large bag is of little use if the person eating them doesn’t like that variety.
Start with dishes they enjoy, then check the weight and cooking instructions on the packaging.
Manger Bouger says that increasing your fibre intake too quickly can lead to bloating or abdominal pain.
If the person rarely eats dried pulses, reintroduce them gradually and pay attention to how comfortable they feel after meals.
A cooked dish contains a complete recipe. For example, Bjorg states that its Lentilles carottes contains 0.49 g of salt per 100 g; this figure applies to that product, not to all ready meals in pouches.
Check the ingredients, listed allergens, salt content and nutritional information per portion for the product you’re considering.
Unintentional weight loss, malnutrition or chronic kidney disease cannot be addressed simply by choosing a particular brand or format of dried pulses. The French National Authority for Health and the French health insurance system stress the importance of appropriate assessment and monitoring in these situations.
Before making significant changes to someone’s meals, speak to their doctor, dietitian or care team.
These brands offer different formats. The variety and ingredients of the specific product matter more than the retailer’s name when deciding what to cook.
The Carrefour range includes 500 g bags of lentils and split peas, among other products from its various own-brand ranges.
The range includes lentils, split peas and dried beans, with several products available in 500 g bags.
The Auchan range includes dried pulses in bags, as well as tins and quick-to-prepare meals.
Lidl’s range includes Golden Sun dried pulses, including organic products.
ALDI’s range includes green lentils and white beans in 500 g bags.
Bjorg offers an organic Lentilles carottes meal in a pouch, advertised as ready in two minutes.
These are dried pulses that need cooking, so they’re best for meals you can plan ahead. When choosing between them, consider the variety, how much you’ll use and the cooking instructions for each bag.
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Dried green split peas to consider for soups or stews you’re preparing in advance.
The bag contains 900 gr. Check the cooking instructions before planning your meal.
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Dried red lentils for dishes that call for this variety, including soups and stews.
The bag contains 500g. Check its preparation instructions to plan the cooking time.
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Dried mung beans for anyone looking to add variety to the pulses they use in soups or stews.
The bag contains 900 gr. Check the preparation steps on the packaging.
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Dried yellow split peas to consider for soups or stews.
The bag contains 900 g. Check the soaking and cooking instructions before planning your meal.
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Dried black-eyed beans for meals you can plan ahead.
The bag contains 900g. Check the soaking and cooking instructions before use.
Yes. The French health insurance system says pulses can replace red meat or poultry in a meal, and recommends pairing them with a cereal product, such as lentils with rice. Any individual dietary prescription should take priority.
Introducing them gradually allows you to take the person’s comfort into account. Manger Bouger says that increasing fibre too quickly can cause bloating or abdominal pain; it also recommends making sure they drink enough.
Tins and jars can cut down on preparation time. Manger Bouger lists them as a way to add dried pulses to meals quickly. For a seasoned recipe, check the ingredients and the amount of salt shown on the product you choose.
In these situations, don’t choose a format of dried pulses purely for convenience. Discuss how it fits into the person’s meals with the healthcare professionals looking after them. The French National Authority for Health sets out how malnutrition should be assessed in people aged 70 and over, while the French health insurance system describes ongoing monitoring for chronic kidney disease.