Indians' consume Toor Dal in unhealthy way: ICRISAT

The ICRISAT report revealed that though 3.89 million tonnes of pulses were harvested in the country in 2020, 0.39 million tonnes were wasted under 10 percent of that. This would amount to 2,542 tons of calcium wasted. If this is avoided, about 69 lakh people will receive 1000 mg of calcium every day, which should ideally last for an entire year.

Hyderabad: Pigeon Pea, or Toor Dal as it is known in Hindi, constitutes one of the most important food ingredients in almost all Indian households stretching from the North to the South. However, a recent study has suggested that the way majority of Indians conventionally consume it might not be the best one. The study conducted by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has revealed that though Toor Dal is a very strong source of healthy nutrients, its husk is even richer in the same nutrients -- the husk that Indians typically remove while getting these legumes processed.

In the standard consumption practice of Toor Dal which is followed across the country, the husk is separated and the cotyledons (spores) which are crucial for the germination of the seed are removed. To split the whole legume grain into two parts to convert it into dal, the husk -- which comprises about 10 percent of pulses -- is removed and used as fodder for the cattle if not thrown away as waste. The cotyledons are thus separated to break the pulse before it is finally used and consumed as dal.

For the study, the ICRISAT researchers used about 60 varieties of Toor Dal pulses among the 200 varieties with South Asian origins, cultivated between 2019 and 2020. The research revealed that the Calcium content of the husk of this legume is extremely high -- 5 times higher than that of milk. Moreover, the protein content of the husk is also considerably high, making it highly nutritional for consumption.

As per the statistical details revealed in the survey, 100 ml of milk contains about 120 mg of calcium, while 100 grams of pulses contain 652 mg of calcium, which is considerably higher than that in rice, wheat, and barley bran. It additionally revealed that though 3.89 million tonnes of pulses were harvested in the country in 2020, 0.39 million tonnes were wasted under 10 percent of that. This would amount to 2,542 tons of calcium wasted. If this is avoided, about 69 lakh people will receive 1000 mg of calcium every day, which should ideally last for an entire year.

According to international standards, every human being should ideally consume 800-1000 mg of calcium per day. However, some grass root level reports suggest that most Indians do not get the optimum amount of nutrition through their meals. Consequently, young children suffer from diseases like osteoporosis while adults are also more prone to age problems like muscle and body pain.

During the National Nutrition Week celebrated between September 1 to 7, ICRISAT revealed the details of pulses that should be included in everyday food for it to be nutritionally balanced. The organization also stated that it would be highly beneficial if children are given pulses along with the husk.