Lentils are probably one of the healthiest foods you can eat. They are a legume and rival chickpeas for their nutritional value.
Introduction
As we confront health-related issues, many of us are looking for low-calorie foods or converting to vegetarianism and veganism as a way to improve the nutritional profile of our food intake. One of the best foods we can consume are grain legumes or pulses and perhaps the one that has come to the fore in the past few years is lentil.
Lentils are low in calories and contain just 230 kcalories per cup. Like other pulses they contain dietary fibre, plenty of protein, various minerals and vitamins.
Lentils are found in many different forms. We have different colours, red, green, black etc.
The lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is mainly a solid mix of protein and coarbohydrate. the dietary fibre content is between 5% w/w to 27% w/w (Grusak, 2009). A cup of lentils contains 16 grams of fibre according to the USDA. On average a person in the western world consumes about 15 grams of fibre every day but nutritionists recommend at least 25 grams. eating high-fibre foods like lentils not only meets our daily needs but could also help with weight management. It is well known that high fibre foods suppress appetite and make us feel full – a satiety effect.
As a food they are easy to prepare and are grown in such large quantities that they are cheap. They are a source of good nutrition around the world.
For many people, the move to a plant-based diet has meant a considerable reduction in health issues especially heart disease. People who eat plant foods appear to have a much lower risk of suffering with cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.
As with lentils, plants contain a wide range of nutrients but a group in particular seem especially beneficial – antioxidants. These are compounds which mop up free radicals. Such free radicals are associated with contributing to the damage caused by inflammation and cancer.
Lentils are a good source of fibre, potassium and folate or folic acid.
Folic acid is a B-vitamin which is needed for red blood cell formation and the proper functioning of nerves. A cup of lentils contains 360 micrograms of this vitamin. It is also an important vitamin for pregnant women because it prevents neural tube defects in developing babies.
Lentils are also full of magnesium. A cup of lentils has 71 mg of this mineral. We need magnesium for energy metabolism, blood formation and the proper functioning of enzymes and transmitters in the body. A low magnesium level is associated with poor health and can put us at risk from stroke and seizure.
The iron content is extraordinary for a natural food. We all know that iron is needed for haemoglobin and if we are deficient in this mineral then we suffer anemia.
When it comes to protein, they contain essential amino-acids such as isoleucine and lysine.
References
(2009). Nutritional and health‐beneficial quality. In W. Erskine, J. Muehlbauer, Fred, A. Sarker, & B. Sharma (Eds.). The Lentil: Botany, production and uses (pp. 368–390). Cambridge, MA: CABI International (Article).
Kim, H., Caulfield LE, Garcia-Larsen V, Steffen LM, Coresh J, Rebholz CM. (2019) Plant-Based Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle-Aged Adults. J Am Heart Assoc. 8(16):e012865. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.119.012865. Epub 2019 Aug 7. PMID: 31387433; PMCID: PMC6759882.
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