The Mighty Lentil
One of the Top Five Healthiest Foods
The lentil was selected by Health Magazine as one of the top 5 healthiest foods on the planet! They are good in sooo many ways!
Beans are generally considered a low cost, healthy alternative to most other protein sources like meat, dairy and most grains. If beans are good for you, then lentils, the smallest of the beans, are great! In general the smaller the bean the more nutrition is packed into each seed. Smaller beans are also often easier to digest and cook and have been a mainstay of many cultures for centuries.
Lentils are low in fat and sodium and are one of most alkaline protein sources. You can sprout them if you want more raw food.
Growing lentils is even healthy for the soil, as they increase nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, take very little moisture, and stop erosion. By eating lentils you are helping the earth and the environment!
Benefits
A single cup of cooked lentils provides well over one third the protein daily requirement for a 150 lb adult while adding practically NO FAT! They have a third highest level of protein by weight of any plant based food. Cost for that cup is just 20 – 40 cents!
Some lentils like brown lentils grown in N. America are so tasty that all you have to do to boil and add a bit of salt. Other lentils are more bland so a bit a spice is needed. This is the ‘dal’ of many eastern countries. Either way if you are interested in healthy cooking and ever considered reducing meat consumption, it definitely worth it to find a few good lentil dishes you like.
Another big benefit of lentils is the high levels of cholesterol lowering fiber (both soluble and insoluble). Numerous studies have shown high levels of fiber associated with decreased degenerative diseases. In one study that examined food intake patterns of 16,000 middle-aged men – in relation to the risk of death from coronary heart disease, researchers found that legumes were associated with a whopping 82% reduction in risk!!
History
The lentil plant (Lens Culinaris) belongs to the family Leguminosae (legume) and is a cousin to peas. The lentil is one of the oldest cultivated legume, dating back at least 8000 years. Although the scientific name relates to the lens of the eye it is interesting that it is one of the foods used in the Christian Lent period, a time when one level of fasting is to abstain from any kind of meat.
Nutrients
Power Nutrients in Lentils: iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, Vitamin B1, potassium
Power Plus Nutrients: Fiber, tryptophan, manganese,
Extreme Power Nutrients: Folate, Molybdenum
Caution: Because lentils are high in so many nutrients, they are high in natural substances called purines. If you have a physical condition which requires you to be on a low purine diet this is to be considered. Recent research though, indicates that the purines from vegetable sources does not have the same negative effect as the purines from meat and fish.
Recipes:
Lentils are SO good for you so we will be adding many different recipes, but here is a link for one very simple use: Lentil Soup http://realfoodforlife.com/lentil-soup/
Enjoy
