What eating lentils can do for your physical health
Lentils are a food staple in many countries such as Morocco, Turkey and Syria. They are rich in many vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These legumes are popular among vegans or vegetarians as they are high in protein, but don't contain the fat or cholesterol in red meat. There are different varieties of lentils such as brown, green, red, and black lentils [1].
Health Benefits of Lentils
High in protein: Lentils are high in protein which helps to build and maintian your muscles, bones and skin [1].
Protects against diseases: Eating lentils can reduce your risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, obesity, cancers and cardiovascular diseases [2].
Reduces risk of cancer: When tested in laboratories, the polyphenols in lentils helped to stop cancer cell growth [3].
Cholesterol: One study found that when overweight individuals ate 1/3 cup of lentils every day, their HDL (good cholesterol) levels increased and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels decreased [4].
Reduced risk of heart disease: Eating lentils is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, most likely due the beneficial effects of their many phytochemicals, their ability to lower blood pressure and lower LDL levels (bad cholesterol) [2, 5].
Lower Blood Sugar: Studies have found that lentils not only stabilize, but can actually lower blood sugar levels [5, 6]. Lentils have also been shown to reduce blood glucose spikes more than peas, chickpeas, or other beans [7]. This makes lentils a great food for people who are trying to avoid or manage diabetes.
Nutrition
1/2 cup of lentils contains.... 9g protein, 8g fiber, 8% of recommended potassium intake, and 18% of recommended iron intake. Lentils are cholesterol free and very low in sugar and fat. They contains many vitamins and minerals such as iron, folate, Vitamin B6, niacin, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese.
Polyphenols: Lentils are high in polyphenols, a compound in plant foods with many health benefits. These polyphenols are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuro-protective. This can help prevent cell damage, cancer growth, and neurodegenerative diseases [1, 2, 5].
Fiber: Lentils are a very high fiber food, which helps to feed the good bacteria, improve overall gut function and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer [1, 8].
Anti-nutrients: Lentils contain natural compounds called anti-nutrients that can bind to other substances, such as zinc, and make it more difficult for our bodies to absorb [1]. Thankfully, the anti-nutrient content is significantly decreased when they're cooked.
The lentils can also be soaked overnight to further decrease their levels [9]. Due to the anti-nutrients, lentils might not be something you fully rely on for your nutritional needs (this applies to most foods however -- everything in moderation).
Cooking:
Cooking lentils is relatively easy. They don't need to be soaked as many other beans do. You simply rinse them, and then cook in boiling water. Time to cook will depend on the type of lentil you have.
Ways to try lentils
References
1
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, October 4). Lentils: the big health benefits of tiny seeds. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-benefits-of-lentils/#:~:text=Lentils%20are%20rich%20in%20a,immune%20system%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Homan
2
Ganesan, K., & Xu, B. (2017). Polyphenol-Rich Lentils and Their Health Promoting Effects. International journal of molecular sciences, 18(11), 2390. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18112390
3
López, A., El-Naggar, T., Dueñas, M., Ortega, T., Estrella, I., Hernández, T., Gómez-Serranillos, M. P., Palomino, O. M., Carretero, M.E., (2016). Influence of processing in the phenolic composition and health-promoting properties of lentils (lens culinaris l.). Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 41.(5), https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.13113
4
Aslani, Z., Mirmiran, P., Alipur, B., Bahadoran, Z., & Abbassalizade Farhangi, M. (2015). Lentil Sprouts Effect On Serum Lipids of Overweight and Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Health promotion perspectives, 5(3), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.15171/hpp.2015.026
5
S. O’Brien, J. Jones, (2023, February 3)., Lentils: nutrition, benefits, and how to cook them. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lentils
6
Bolsinger, J., Landstrom, M., Pronczuk, A., Auerbach, A., & Hayes, K. C. (2017). Low glycemic load diets protect against metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the male Nile rat. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 42, 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2017.01.007
7
Hanson, M. G., Zahradka, P., & Taylor, C. G. (2014). Lentil-based diets attenuate hypertension and large-artery remodelling in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The British journal of nutrition, 111(4), 690–698. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114513002997
8
Graf, D., Monk, J. M., Lepp, D., Wu, W., McGillis, L., Roberton, K., Brummer, Y., Tosh, S. M., & Power, K. A. (2019). Cooked Red Lentils Dose-Dependently Modulate the Colonic Microenvironment in Healthy C57Bl/6 Male Mice. Nutrients, 11(8), 1853. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081853
9
Pal, R. S., Bhartiya, A., Yadav, P., Kant, L., Mishra, K. K., Aditya, J. P., & Pattanayak, A. (2017). Effect of dehulling, germination and cooking on nutrients, anti-nutrients, fatty acid composition and antioxidant properties in lentil (Lens culinaris). Journal of food science and technology, 54(4), 909–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-016-2351-4
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