Several Good Reasons to Love Lentils

Lentils are good for so many parts of your life: your body, your blood, your pocketbook, and your taste buds.

Benefits of Lentils

• High Protein: Lentils have the highest level of protein by weight of any plant-based food. With one cup of lentils, you can supply 1/3 of the daily protein requirement for a 150-pound adult.

• High Nutrition: Lentils are the mightiest of the beans. In general, the smaller the seed, the more nutrition a food has by weight or volume. Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fiber, but they have the added advantage of cooking quickly.

• Easy to Digest and Cook: Compared to many other beans they are much faster to cook and easier to digest. This is why they have been the mainstay of many cultures for centuries.

• High in Fiber (both soluble and insoluble): Numerous studies have shown diets high in fiber were associated with a whopping 82 percent reduction in risk of death from coronary heart disease!

• Yummy: Some lentils, like brown or French lentils grown in North America, are so tasty that all you have to do is boil them and add a bit of salt. Other lentils are a little blander so a bit of spice is recommended. Lentils have a mild, often earthy flavor, and they’re best if cooked with assertive flavorings.  The best, most delicate lentils are the peppery French green lentils. These hold their shape well but take longer to cook than other lentils.

• The milder brown lentils also hold their shape after cooking, but can easily turn mushy if overcooked.  Indian markets also carry a wide variety of split lentils, called dal.   Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris.  Unlike dried beans and peas, there’s no need to soak them.  Lentils cook more slowly if they’re combined with salt or acidic ingredients, so add these last.  Bigger or older lentils take longer to cook.  Store dried lentils for up to a year in a cool, dry place.