Are you a vegetarian and want to add a good source of protein to your diet? Then consider adding health benefits of lentils to your daily diet routine. They belong to the legume family Fabaceae. Lentils are also commonly called pulses. These pulses have many colors like black, red, and yellow.
South Asian cuisines have lentil as main ingredient in different dishes. These pulses are also considered as a cheap ingredient that can be grown easily in a pot.
Nutrition Present in Lentils
Lentils are a great source of important macromolecules. They help in providing essential amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber in your daily diet. Dietitians also consider lentils a healthy ingredient because of their low-fat content. These seedless pulses also contain a good amount of iron, selenium, folate, and manganese. A 100g lentils can provide almost 105k calories.
What Are the Top 10 Benefits of Lentils?
Although lentils have various health benefits. Here, in this blog you will read about the top 10 health benefits of lentils.
1. Great Source of Protein
Most people avoid eating animals’ food. So, for vegan people, lentils can be considered as an alternative food to get protein in their diet. Protein is made up of amino acids.
Essential amino acids are those types of amino acids that cannot be made in the human body and should be taken into the diet. Out OF 20, 12 are considered non-essential amino acids. Lentils can provide essential amino acids in your diet.
2. Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease
Lentils consist of a product called Polyphenol. Polyphenol helps our body to fight against different diseases. Polyphenols in lentils are associated with lowering the risk of coronary artery diseases like atherosclerosis and angina pectoris.
3. Helps in reducing LDL, A bad form of cholesterol
It is a fact that cholesterol is bad for health and is associated with heart, Liver and neurological diseases. LDL is a bad form of cholesterol. According to many types of research, they reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the human body.
4. Helps in the management of weight
If you are on diet, Boiled lentils can be very helpful for you. As lentils can provide protein along with carbohydrates. Lentils also have minerals like zinc and iron. Having a lentils-based diet can help in keeping your stomach full for a very long time. For that reason, a lentil-based diet can also help in portion control.
5. Helps in decreasing glucose levels in the blood
Lentils are also good for diabetic patients. The high content of polyphenols and dietary fibers helps in maintaining glucose levels in the blood.
6. Decrease The Free–Radical Formation
One body can sometimes make uncharged particles. These uncharged particles are also called free radicals. Free radicals are harmful to our bodies and are also considered cancer-causing agents.
Lentin has high manganese content. Manganese possesses antioxidant properties. This mineral helps in lowering the level of free radicals in our body.
7. Helps In Reducing the Symptoms of Anemia
Iron is an essential mineral that your body requires to function properly. RBCs need iron to make hemoglobin. Low iron in a body can cause anemia.
If you are feeling low, dizzy, weak, and have pale skin, you might be suffering from anemia. Start taking lentils in your diet as they are a great source of iron.
8. Help In Reducing Birth Defects.
The deficiency of folate in pregnant ladies causes several neurological defects in the embryo called neural tube defects. Spina bifida is a defect of the spinal cord, that is present during birth. It is one of the examples of a neural tube defect. Lentils contain a good source of folate.
The doctor recommends pregnant women add lentils to their diet to have a healthy baby.
9. Helps In Digestion
Lentils also contain a good number of dietary fibers. Dietary fiber can help in the digestion of food. According to the result of different studies, dietary fiber reduces stomach and colon cancers.
10. Has Anti – Cancer Property
Selenium in lentils has anti-cancer properties. Selenium helps in increasing the immune response of a human by increasing the production of T – killer cells.
Tips To Grow Lentils Crop
Different countries like Canada, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and China export lentils. Lentils suppliers are also selling lentils in the b2b and b2c markets.
Tips that manufacturers can follow to have a great lentil crop.
- As you know, lentils are easy to grow, but if you are a lentil manufacturer, ensure that your seed quality should be good.
- Add phosphorus to your lentil’s field, phosphorous and nitrogen helps to increase the fertility of a crop.
- Lentils take time to grow, so give your crop enough time to grow before harvesting it.
- Lentils are immune to drought conditions as this crop can be grown in less water.
Conclusion
After covid 19, many people want to avoid animal-based food. Lentils are cheap, easy to cook alternative sources of protein for vegetarian people. That is why more lentil manufacturers started to sell lentils online.