Red lentils are similar to lentils, which we’re all used to eating. The difference lies in their strong red color and more delicate flavor.
Have you ever eaten them? Did you know they exist?
Well, pay attention, because we’re going to talk to you about the benefits of red lentils.
We’re confident that, after reading this article, you’ll want to try them.
The great nutritional and health benefits of red lentils
Red lentils are rich in iron, fiber, selenium, zinc, carbohydrates, protein, and vitamin B1. Plus, they’re an excellent source of phosphorus, manganese, and folic acid.
These lentils are low-fat and only have 360 calories per 100 grams.
1. Promote proper nutrition during pregnancy
If you’re pregnant, you’ll love to know about this property.
Thanks to its iron contents, they help prevent anemia during the gestation period. Many women need to take iron supplements. We advise you to keep taking your supplements, but also include these lentils in your diet.
In turn, the fiber this legume contains will help you have an adequate waste disposal and therefore treat constipation, which is often associated with pregnancy. This is a healthier alternative to taking traditional laxatives.
Finally, their folate content help to prevent defects or malformations in the fetus’ nervous system and prevent the chances of premature delivery.
2. Red lentils improves your digestive health
Another property of red lentils is that, since they’re rich in starch, they improve your digestion and make you feel full without having to eat so much food.
Since they don’t have skin, they’re better digested than common lentils. Moreover, their consumption is very suitable for people with intestinal and stomach problems, slow digestion, and excess gas.
Thanks to the fiber in this food, it also prevents constipation. We recommend eating a cup of cooked red lentils at least once a week.
3. Prevents cancer
One of the best benefits of red lentils is that, thanks to the fact that they’re rich in fiber, they improve intestinal transit and rid the body of carcinogens that can be housed in the digestive tract. This way, your body doesn’t absorb them.
On the other hand, eating this food also protects you against breast and prostate cancer because they regulate estrogen and testosterone levels.
4. Improves intellectual performance
The carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and minerals in red lentils are vital for the proper nutrition of the nerves and brain.
Therefore, it’s advisable to eat this food if you’ve had memory problems or other kinds of problems with your intellectual performance lately.
Furthermore, these benefits of red lentils are useful for growing children, young people who are studying, and people who are under a lot of stress and tension.
How to prepare red lentils
One of the advantages of red lentils is their cooking time, which is very fast. They don’t require a pre-soak period, so they’re faster to prepare than traditional lentils.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of raw red lentils (200 g)
- 2 cups of water or broth (500 ml)
Preparation:
- Rinse the lentils under running tap water.
- In a pot, place the broth and the lentils and cook for 20 minutes.
- If the broth needs some seasoning, you may add a touch of salt and pepper. Upon cooking, the lentils typically vary slightly in color and become lighter.
- Once cooked, you can eat them alone or use them to prepare other soups and salads.
High-protein salad
To give you an idea, we’ll leave you with a basic salad recipe. It has an excellent flavor and is rich in healthy fats and protein, so anyone can eat them.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked red lentils (200 g)
- 1 marinated and grilled chicken breast
- ½ a ripe avocado
- ½ cup of cooked corn grains (100 g)
- ½ seeded cucumber
- 1 tbsp. of olive oil (16 g)
- juice of ½ a lemon
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Preparation:
- Chop the chicken into small pieces once it’s grilled.
- Chop the avocado and the cucumber into small cubes.
- In a bowl, mix the lentils, chicken breast, avocado, corn, and cucumber.
- Mix the olive oil and lemon juice and season the salad.
- Add a little salt and pepper.
This salad is great because it allows you to play with the flavors. You can make the chicken with different marinades or change it for meat or fish.
Also, you can substitute the vegetables to experience different flavors. For example, you can change the cucumber for pepper.
