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Lentils are a food rich in vitamins and minerals that can bring several health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, detoxifying the body or preventing anemia. In addition, they can be prepared without adding fats, making it a great meal for a slimming diet.
Despite being consumed more often at New Year's supper, lentils can be consumed on a daily basis, throughout the year, to replace beans, for example.
Although it has several benefits, the consumption of lentils should be controlled by people who suffer from gout or who have uric acid increasing, as they are a very rich food in purines.
The 7 main benefits of eating lentils include:
- Help lower cholesterol - because they have insoluble fibers that decrease the absorption of fats.
- Detoxify the body - regulating the intestine and, therefore, clean the intestines by absorbing toxins.
- Decrease Premenstrual Tension - as they contain a substance called lignans, which has an action similar to female hormones like estrogens that help to reduce PMS symptoms.
- Fight diabetes - because despite having a lot of carbohydrates, they have a lot of fiber and prevent sugar from raising too much blood.
- Prevent and treat anemia - food very rich in iron, recommended especially for vegetarians with a tendency to develop anemia.
- Help prevent cancer - because in addition to being rich in fibers that decrease the risk of colon cancer, they have antioxidants that protect the body's cells.
- Improve bone health - in addition to having calcium, it contains isoflavones that help produce important hormones to strengthen bones.
In addition, lentils are rich in zinc, which helps to strengthen the immune system and are very good for treating anemia because they have a lot of iron and, in addition, their high amount of fiber improves intestinal transit and relieves constipation and the swelling of the belly.
How to make lentils
Lentils can be made like beans, so just cover the lentils with water and cook for 30 minutes. So, to make a quick and nutritious soup, just cook the dried lentils together with carrots, celery and onion, for example, and eat in the form of soup or together with rice.
There are several types of lentils, but usually all types should be soaked so that they produce less intestinal gas, just like beans.
Lentils can be green, brown, black, yellow, red and orange, containing different consistencies and becoming firmer or softer after cooking. For this reason, orange lentils, as they are soft and pasty, are generally used in the babies' feeding, however, it is necessary to soak them, so as not to cause constipation or colic in the baby.
Nutritional information table
Components | Amount per 100 g of cooked lentils |
Energy | 93 calories |
Proteins | 6.3 g |
Fats | 0.5 g |
Carbohydrates | 16.3 g |
Fibers | 7.9 g |
Vitamin B1 | 0.03 mcg |
Sodium | 1 mg |
Potassium | 220 mg |
Copper | 0.17 mg |
Zinc | 1.1 mg |
Magnesium | 22 mg |
Manganese | 0.29 mg |
Calcium | 16 mg |
Phosphor | 104 mg |
Iron | 1.5 mg |
Healthy recipe with lentils
A delicious and easy recipe to make with lentils is the warm potato and lentil salad.
Ingredients
- 85 g of lentils
- 450 g of new potatoes
- 6 green onions
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Preparation mode
Place the lentils in a pan with boiling water for 20 minutes, remove the lentils from the water and set aside. In another pan put the potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes, remove and cut in half for a bowl. Add the sliced onions and lentils to the potatoes. Finally, add the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Check out the following video on how to prepare the lentil burger: