A Breakdown of the Health Benefits of Lentils-Don’t Miss Out

In this post, we will take a look at one of the foods of the bible, lentils, and some of the great healthy benefits linked to eating this long-time traditional legume. We have our favorite ready-to-eat and raw lentil brands, that are perfect in getting you started with incorporating lentils into your diet.

*Disclaimer we are not health care professionals, and you should always consult with your doctor about any medical issues or specific vitamins or minerals that your body may need. This blog also contains affiliate links to eternal sites.  All the products and foods that we recommend are brands we know are ethical and are honest recommendations that we have tried firsthand.  

Growing up one of the top foods that my mom would make my brother and I, was lentil soup. As a kid I always dreaded eating such a healthy food filled with vegetables, because of course, what I wanted to eat instead was, cake and pizza. I know now that my mom loved feeding my brother and I things like black bean soup and lentils, because it was almost like an automatic snooze machine.Anyways, for as far back as I can remember, lentils have always been a part of my life.

As an adult, and three years of being a born-again Christian, making my way through the books of the bible I’m starting to realize that lentils are one of those reoccurring foods that are mentioned and were eaten at the time.

Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side.

Ezekiel 4:9 NLT

Lentils As Seen in the Bible

According to Knowing Jesus, an online platform that helps people search specifics in the bible and provides different resources in learning The Word, lentils appear in at least 5 instance in the bible. This may not seem like a lot, especially considering how large the bible is, but it’s enough times to understand there is some significance in why these would have been incorporated in the diet at the time.

When we look at our lives as Christians and consider Gods requirement for us to be born-again and live holy lives set apart from the world, one of those areas of our lives should be our diet. Following a biblical diet, can be interrupted by eating healthy in general, or it can be taken literal, where you only eat the foods that would have been eaten during the era of which these stories played out. These foods, I think can be considered as holy foods, as they are not only pleasing to God, but they are also foods that take care of our body and are nutritionally healthy in their nature.

Eating healthy is important because scriptures point us in how clear God is in telling us that our bodies are temples of the Holy spirit.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT

Lentils were of course eaten throughout history, but to this day lentils are still a big part of cultures in the East, like India, and Turkey.

The health benefits of lentils

Some of the basic nutrients that a person’s body may need, can be achieved by just one serving of lentils, and is a food that has hefty amounts of carbs which are known to produce healthy energy levels.  According to organicfacts.net, a evidence based website that covers various healthy topics, lentils contain the highest amount of protein compared to all other edible plants. Very impressive statistic!

Here are some health benefits from lentils that may improve your health and prevents diseases:

• Aid in weight loss

According to studies recorded by the national institute of health, there was 39 obese people that were given lentil sprouts (LS), and after the group given the LS was compared to the control group, they were able to conclude that lentil sprouts significantly helped increased HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol).

Although Cholesterol levels are not necessarily a trigger to gaining or losing weight (since its possible for normal weight people to have levels of LDL and love levels of HDL), it is most common to see a trend with obese people. Obese individuals are more likely to have high levels of LDL. So, when eating lentils, it is possible to see these levels begin to regulate, and in turn can be an indication that weight is being lost by the change of diet.

• Support Digestive system

As we saw in the nutritional breakdown of lentils, this small legume is abundant in fiber. Where an apple has 4.4g of fiber, lentils have more than double that at 10g of fiber per serving. As most nutritionist note, fiber is an essential part of producing healthy and regular stool. According to Lisa Ganjgu, DO, a gastroenterologist interviewed by Everyday Health, “Fiber is the fuel the colon cells use to keep them healthy.”

In this same article, experts like Jo Ann Hattner, MPH RD, explain that even though those who are experiencing constipation may be advised to eat foods with more fiber (like lentils), it is also possible to overeat fiber filled foods, and it may cause bloating and excessive gas. It is smart to eat a balanced meal and not overeat lentils for the sake of adding more fiber to your diet.

• Maintain Protein Levels- Build Muscle

As mentioned before, lentils have high levels of proteins, and impressively the highest levels of protein originating from plants. This is so important especially for those that may be opting out of eating protein from animals, like eggs, chicken, or red meat. Even though many may want to eat establish the growing-in-popularity-diet, veganism, it may still be necessary for a person to accomplish recommended daily intake of protein.

Protein is a building block that helps build bones, muscles, and skin to keep them strong and healthy. Which makes sense, since out body is partly meat, there is some common sense in needing more meat and protein to fuel its genetic makeup. Not only that, protein helps recover and heal from injuries. If you’re a person that is always working out, going to the gym, or is physically active in general, it’s very important to eat enough protein to support your body through your daily routine.

Try them out!

Try eating lentils on the regular, to see if this may improve your muscle building journey. It may even help your energy levels as you engage in cardio, like running or swimming. You may not want to eat meat to eat protein, but replacing with lentils can be a good start to meeting your recommend intake.

Want to try and integrate lentils to your diet but you simply don’t know where to start?

Whether you are looking to find a food that will better connect you spiritually to God, you want to try and live a healthier life, or you just want to try something new, lentils can be the way to go! Lentils have many health benefits that will get you excited to start eating them, but the good news is that they are delicious too! A lot of times healthy foods are associated with something that is not going to taste that good but that is not the case here.

There are many lentil recipes online (and maybe we’ll share out favorite in the future *hint hint*) where you can try to make them your self or you can try some ready-to-make options. Below are some of my favorite ready-to-eat lentils that are easy to eat with a bowl of rice, or maybe even as a dip with bread. There is also a list of my favorite brands of raw lentils which are perfect options for following a favorite recipe from a cookbook or online.

Shopping guide: Our Top Lentil Picks

Ready-to-eat Lentils

Will you incorporate lentils in your diet?

See what happens when you incorporate lentil into your diet and reap the many health benefits of lentils. This bible food is such a staple of the time, and it’s a great reminder how healthy eating can also help us in our spiritual walk.

I would love to hear what you think! Have you tried this bible food before? Feel free to leave us a comment down below and let us know if you will be trying one of our recommendations or if you have any favorite recipes that you want to share with our team. 

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