Thirty -Five Reasons to Love Lentils
1. Once cup of cooked lentils has only 230 calories but will leave you feeling full and satisfied for hours.
2. A single cup of cooked lentils contains 16 grams of dietary fiber, or 63 percent recommended daily allowance of fiber for an adult man or woman on a 2,000-calorie diet.
3. Lentils can help manage blood-sugar disorders by preventing blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal.
4. Lentils are a source of soluble fiber which help the body remove cholesterol making it a fabulous ingredient in heart health.
5. The soluble fiber in lentils also stabilize blood sugar levels. If you have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, lentils will balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy.
6. Lentils are also an excellent source of insoluble fiber to bulk stool and prevent constipation.
7. Lentil fiber helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.
8. Lentils may significantly decrease the risk of colon, breast, throat and esophageal cancer.
9. A cup of lentils provides 87 percent of the iron men need daily and 38 percent of the amount a woman needs and can greatly replenish your energy stores.
10. You can increase the amount of iron you get from lentils by eating the legumes with meat or with a rich source of vitamin C.
11. Lentils have helped to counteract neurological problems like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
12. Cooked lentils provide 18 grams of protein per cup.
13. The Harvard School of Public Health names legumes such as lentils a better protein choice compared to beef, poultry and fish
14. Lentils do not contain all of the amino acids required by the body for protein synthesis. So, combine them with a grain like rice or whole-wheat bread for a filling meal with complete protein.
15. One cup of coooked lentils also contains less than 1 gram of fat and no cholesterol.
16. Each cup of cooked lentils supplies nearly 100 percent daily requirement of Folate (also known as folic acid or vitamin B9) for adults.
17. The Folate in lentils support nervous system health, aids in energy metabolism and is required for the synthesis of DNA, RNA and red blood cells.
18. Folate is also known to lower your risk of you age-related vision or hearing loss.
19. Pregnant women to need include folate-rich foods such as lentils in their diets. At least 600 micrograms of folate daily lessens the risk of their child being born with a birth defect.
20. One cup of Lentils meets almost half the daily recommended value of Magnesium which is known to improve blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
21. Deficiency in magnesium is strongly associated with heart attacks and free radical damage to the heart.
22. Just 100 grams of uncooked lentils has more potassium than a large banana which can counteract the damaging effect of sodium and has been shown to lower blood pressure.
23. Lentils are a good source of copper, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K
24. While the most common types in North America are either green (laird lentil) and red. Lentils are also available in black, yellow, brown and orange colors.
25. Brown and green ones are the best at retaining their shape after cooking, The others become soft and mushy.
26. Lentils are an ancient food. Being one of the first foods to have ever been cultivated and are believed to have origninated in central Asia
27. Lentils were mentioned in the Bible both as the item that Jacob traded to Esau for his birthright and as a part of a bread that was made during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
28. In many Catholic countries, lentils have long been used as a staple food during Lent.
29. Dal is the traditional spiced lentil cuisine that has held high esteem in India for over 2000 years.
30. Canada is now the world’s largest exporter of lentils to the global marketplace, selling to over 100 countries each year.
31. Other leading commercial producers of lentils include India, Turkey, China and Syria.
32. Lentils are one of the few legumes that do not need to be presoacked making them quick and easy to prepare.
33. They have a slightly nutty taste but readily absorb a variety of wonderful flavors from other foods and seasonings, making them a perfect add-in to soups, casseroles and stews.
34. Unlike canned vegetables, canned lentils lose little nutritional value. Just be on the look out for canned lentils that add salt or line the cans with bisphenol A/BPA.
35. Lentil flakes are similar in appearance to oats and can be used in nutrition bars or breakfast cereals with the added benefit of twice the amount of protein than other cereal grains
