Three cookies a day could make the pounds melt away.
The University of Calgary is seeking 60 people between the ages of 18 and 70 who are overweight or obese to participate in a study in which they eat three high fibre cookies a day.
The study begins in January and ends in April.
The cookies will resemble a dry biscuit and contain 15 grams of fibre from dry, yellow peas. The recipe is being formulated and tested for palatability at the Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc, Alta.
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“We decided to test one pea ingredient at a time,” said Raylene Reimer, a researcher and dietician with the U of C’s faculty of kinesiology.
“In animal models, we have tests with pea flour and the fibre, and they both have good properties.”
Food guides recommend eating about half a cup of pulses per day, but few people do.
“We know there are lots of good health properties in legumes, so if people eat the whole legumes, we can see benefits for blood cholesterol, with weight management, with controlling blood sugar,” she said.
The university contacted pulse grower organizations to obtain supplies of peas, but the commissions are not funding the study.
The study asks participants to eat three cookies per day and fill out food records. They must come to the university once a month to be weighed and to have their blood tested to assess cholesterol, insulin, glucose and inflammatory markers. They also receive a body fat scan and bone mineral density test.
Half the group will receive the high fibre cookie and the rest will receive a low or no fibre product for comparison.
Men should eat 38 grams of fibre per day and women need 25 grams. The average Canadian eats 13 grams.
Peas contain a mixture of soluble and insoluble fibre. It is hoped the study will show there are enough benefits in this fibre to justify giving pulses a certified health designation. That would encourage food manufacturers to include more pea fibre in cookies, bars and cereals.
People interested in participating in the study may contact rakilen@ucalgary.ca or call 403-220-8549.
