Olive oil and fish get the attention, but in traditional Mediterranean cooking the everyday workhorses are pulses: lentils, chickpeas and beans. They are cheap, they keep for months and they give you protein and fibre in the same spoonful. The question beginners ask is simple: how many times a week is enough?
There is no single answer, because countries word it differently. Italy's guidelines suggest about 3 servings of pulses a week, Spain's say at least 4, and the Dutch and Belgian guidelines ask for at least once a week. So the useful target is a range: from once a week as a floor, up to most days if you enjoy them.
Pick what goes on your plate each day. One serving here means about 150 g cooked (a generous half-tin, drained), inside the 150–200 g cooked range some national guidelines use.
Guidelines measure servings differently, so here is a practical version. About 150 g cooked is roughly half a standard tin, drained, or a generous ladle of lentil soup with the lentils included. Dried pulses roughly double or triple in weight when cooked, so 50–70 g dry gives about that much.
Tinned, dried, frozen and jarred all count. Tinned are the easiest for beginners: rinse them, and pick ones in water without added salt or sugar where you can. If you cook dried kidney beans yourself, soak them and boil them hard for at least 10 minutes first; undercooked kidney beans can make you ill.
Per 100 g cooked, lentils and chickpeas each give about 9 g of protein and 7–8 g of fibre, for roughly 115–165 kcal. The NHS says pulses are a good source of fibre and that some fibre from foods like pulses may help reduce blood cholesterol. UK guidance asks adults to reach 30 g of fibre a day, while most adults eat around 20 g, so pulses are one of the easiest places to close the gap.
They also count towards your 5 A DAY in the UK, but only once a day, however much you eat: the NHS portion is 80 g.
Start with once a week. Aim for three or four if you enjoy them.
A sudden jump in fibre can cause wind and bloating. Raise your intake over a few weeks and drink enough water. Research on pulses and long-term health mostly comes from studies that watch what people eat, so it shows links rather than proof; the advice here follows national guidelines, not a promise of results.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you have a condition such as kidney disease or irritable bowel syndrome, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have or have had an eating disorder, or take medication (especially for diabetes or blood pressure), talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat.