Effect of Lentils and Chickpeas on Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health

The primary goal of this research is to evaluate the effect of daily whole-cooked chickpea and lentil consumption for 8-weeks on gut health, including microbiome-metabolome arrays and gut epithelial/barrier function, in healthy young adults. Secondary Objectives include: * To examine the effect of daily whole-cooked chickpea and lentil consumption for 8-weeks on the measures of metabolic health and inflammation in healthy young adults. * To determine the feasibility of healthy young adults to successfully incorporate and sustain the recommended daily intake of pulses into their diets for eight consecutive weeks Research Interventions: Participants will be asked to consume a normal diet supplemented daily with either A) whole-cooked canned lentils, or B) whole-cooked canned chickpeas. The control condition will be instructed to consume a normal diet while restricting all pulse intake throughout the study.