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Lupin is best known as a flowering plant of the genus Lupinus. There are also varieties grown for their edible seeds - referred to as pulses. The seeds of lupins are a grain legume. These seeds grow in pods and are harvested and dried.
There are two kinds of lupins – sweet and bitter.
Bitter lupins have been eaten for thousands of years. Known as Lupinus albus this lupin contains very high levels of bitter alkaloids and has to be boiled and soaked in brine to make it edible. Australian Sweet Lupin, also known as Lupinus augustifolius, contains negligible levels of bitter alkaloids. This sweeter, neutral tasting bean does not need any such preparation and can even be eaten raw.
* Allergen
Our TLC Lupin Protein Flakes are 100% natural and GMO free. They’re made from Australian Sweet Lupins - with nothing added - simply by dehulling the lupin beans and splitting them before milling them into flakes (a courser form of lupin flour) and packing them. That’s it!
Packed TLC Lupin Protein Flakes have a long shelf life and are marked with a best before date. If the pack has been stored in a cool, dry place, the contents will be perfectly good to eat even if that date has been passed.
Lupin, like other members of the legume family like peanuts or soya beans may trigger an allergic reaction in a small percentage of the population. Some people who are allergic to peanuts may also react to lupin.
If you think you may be allergic to lupin, you should take medical advice before using this product.
For more information about lupin allergy, please review this document. Source: Anaphylaxis Campaign
Yes, our lupin flakes are fine to eat just as they are if that’s how you like them!
Sweet Australian Lupins have very low levels of the ‘anti-nutrients’ typically found in other legumes like soya beans, which require soaking and cooking before they can be eaten. TLC Lupin Protein Flakes naturally contain almost no trypsin inhibitors which is what makes a raw bean undigestible. You don’t need to cook our lupin flakes to make the protein or any other nutrients bioavailable to your body and there is no loss of nutrients with moderate heating.
A simple no cook idea is to add them to smoothies or energy balls, or sprinkle them on top of muesli or granola. Equally, you may prefer to add them to your muesli or granola mix before baking or you can add 2-3 tablespoons to oats when making porridge.
You will find TLC Lupin Protein Flakes are very versatile and will actually taste different depending on how you prepare them. For instance, lightly toasting brings out a delicious nutty flavour. Whilst boiling for 3 minutes, straining and squeezing excess moisture, will result in a very mild couscous alternative. When boiled and used this way they act as a fantastic flavour carrier and will take on the taste of whatever seasoning you use.
Have fun experimenting and finding your favourite ways to use your lupin flakes – and then tell us all about it!
Not Australian Sweet Lupin. Lupin has been used as a food for humans and livestock for over 2000 years, however a long “debittering” or “brining” process was necessary to remove alkaloids (bitter tasting, mild toxins) that occur in traditional (Mediterranean) as well as New World (Americas) lupin varieties. You may be familiar with Lupini Beans which are the traditional Mediterranean type.
However over the last 60 years Australian plant breeders have developed this very low-alkaloid variety, which have been selectively developed for human consumption. These varieties do not need any ‘debittering’ process and are so safe they can even be consumed raw!
Dietary fibres are undigestible carbohydrates that are passed through to the large intestine providing our healthy gut flora with the food they need to flourish.
Not all fibres are created equal and they perform different roles in the gut. Soluble fibres slow down digestion and are good for cholesterol lowering, insoluble fibres are great for regularity and prebiotic fibres are very beneficial for stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines. Our TLC Lupin Protein Flakes include all three types of fibre.
A high-fibre diet helps to maintain bowel health and normalises bowel movements, decreasing the chance of constipation. It can help in achieving a healthy weight as you are likely to eat less and feel fuller for longer. Increasing your fibre intake is also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
The NHS refers to Government guidelines published in 2015 which recommend an intake of 30g fibre per day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Most adults only consume an average of 18g per day. 40g of TLC Lupin Protein Flakes will give you almost 15g of fibre – nearly half of your daily requirement, enough to top up your daily intake from other food.
One way of increasing the number of good bacteria in the gut is by eating foods that are high in dietary fibre and especially prebiotic fibres. TLC Lupin Protein Flakes have a whopping 37g of fibre per 100g, with close to 1/3 of this fibre being prebiotic.
A prebiotic is a type of dietary fibre. To be classified as a prebiotic, the fibre must pass through the digestive system undigested and stimulate the growth and/or activity of certain ‘friendly’ bacteria in the large intestine. Sweet Australian Lupin contains oligosaccharides which promote the growth of friendly bifidobacteria in the intestines.
Some health benefits attributed to prebiotic fibre intake include stimulation of gut flora, improved mineral absorption, stabilisation of blood glucose and insulin levels, protection against intestinal infections, alterations in the progress of some inflammatory conditions and possible protection against colon cancer.
Some foods such as legumes can indeed produce excessive wind. The flatulence is the result of excessive gas produced through the action of the gut microflora. This often happens when people swiftly change from a low fibre diet to a high fibre diet including high fibre foods such as legumes.
We recommend you introduce TLC Lupin Protein Flakes gradually over 14 days if you are not used to these kinds of food in your diet. This will give your gut and gut bacteria time to adapt to the greater quantity of fibre arriving in the bowel.
If you have received a diagnosis of IBS from your doctor, you may have been placed on the low-FODMAP diet.
This is a special therapeutic diet designed to alleviate the undesirable gastrointestinal symptoms associated with this condition.
Lupin is classed as high FODMAP. You must therefore seek the guidance of a qualified dietician with experience in this area before incorporating foods such as TLC Lupin Protein Flakes into your diet.
Not quite! Lupins in Australia are typically grown on ‘acid – sands’, to assist very marginal soils to become productive farming lands. These soil types are not suitable for organic farming. However, Sweet Australian Lupins are an integral component of sustainable farming practices and are grown as a nitrogen fixer, offering great benefits to soil health.
Sweet Australian Lupins are also very hardy against pests. They have a very robust pod and a thick outer seed coat, so are not generally sprayed with pesticides. Both the pod and outer seed coat are removed in the production of our Lupin Protein Flakes, so this removes any potential residues that would be present anyway.
Yes! Our products are suitable for a Kosher diet. They are Kosher and Pareve as supervised by Kosher Australia. Each pack bears the relevant logo.
Absolutely! Our lupin flakes are accredited as Halal by Halal Australia. Their logo is displayed on the packaging.
