What happens to your body when you eat more pulses? Five effects you need to know

marilyn barbone/Shutterstock Lentils, beans and chickpeas have been feeding people for thousands of years. Lentils are among the world’s earliest cultivated crops, with archaeological evidence tracing them back to the beginnings of agriculture. Yet scientists are still learning what happens inside our bodies when we eat them. A 2026 review of the research examined the evidence on pulses and their effects on the gut and metabolism. Pulses are the dried edible seeds of legume plants, including…