Abstract
Changes in the way food is produced and consumed in our societies imply food and nutritional transitions. The consequences of these changes can be deleterious if measures are not taken to steer these transitions resolutely in the right direction. Regular consumption of legumes is one of the almost unavoidable components of healthy, sustainable diets. The reference diet proposed in 2019 by the EAT-Lancet commission includes the consumption of 100 g legume seed equivalent/person/day. However,global consumption of pulses declined steadily over the 20th century, particularly in industrialized countries, and we are far from reaching these consumption levels in most parts of the world. Africa is one of the top consuming regions (25g/person/day), but there are major disparities from one country to another. Europe has a very low consumption rate, averaging 8g/person/day. The nutritional and health benefits of eating legumes go far beyond their plant protein content, which is more of an environmental concern, as they replace animal proteins. Pulses are also a remarkable source of fiber and low-glycemic carbohydrates, playing a role in satiety, helping to prevent overweight and obesity. They also contain numerous bioactive compounds with a recognized role in the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Finally, they contain appreciable quantities of important micronutrients, particularly vitamin B9, magnesium and zinc. So, why is consumption so notoriously inadequate? Depending on the context, the most frequently reported obstacles to consumption are (i) their poor palatability, (ii) the difficulty of preparing them, (iii) the occurrence of digestive problems after consumption, and (iv) their low availability/high price and (v) their unflattering image as “poor man's meat”. Several approaches could be explored to overcome these challenges: - Promote diversity at all levels: species, variety, form of consumption. In Benin, a positive association between diversity of consumption forms and quantity of cowpea consumed has been demonstrated; - Offer intermediate manufactured products to facilitate preparation; - Reduce the content of anti-nutritional factors through varietal selection or the use of biological processes; …Not forgetting awareness-raising and marketing activities to improve the image of legumes.