Love your gut – love lentils!

Elevate your gut health game with the nutrient-packed goodness of lentils! Lentils are great for your gut microbiome and the body in general. They are unprocessed, high in fibre, a good source of protein, and low on the glycaemic index. What’s not to love?!

Lentils, like many other legumes, are associated with preventing chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer.¹https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ They contain various prebiotic fibres, including raffinose, fructooligosaccharides, and resistant starch.²https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/

Prebiotics are non-digestible fibres or compounds that promote the growth and activity of probiotic microorganisms (for example, Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria). By maintaining a healthy balance of gut bacteria, prebiotics support various aspects of human health, including digestion, immune function, and the synthesis of certain vitamins and nutrients.

So many benefits, and they are so easy to add to your everyday meals:

• Add them to a soup or stew.
• Make a salad with puy lentils.
• Use them to bulk out tomato-based dishes such as chilli and bolognese.
• Use a variety if you can – red, green, yellow-split, puy, brown, beluga.
• Or try this red lentil flatbread recipe!

Red lentil flatbread

Ingredients (makes 3-4 flatbreads)

• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 TSP salt

Method

• Rince the lentils a few times and then soak 1 cup of lentils with 2 cups of water. Leave to soak in the fridge for about 3 hours.
• Blend the mixture in a food processor (I used a Nutribullet) until you have a smooth consistency.
• In a heated non-stick pan, pour the ‘batter’ into the pan, just like a traditional thin pancake or crepe.
• Turn it over with a spatula a couple of times to make sure it’s cooked through.
• Once cooled, fill with falafels, hummus and salad for a delicious and nutritious wrap. Enjoy!

When increasing fibre intake, be sure to keep hydrated. If you are currently on a low-fibre diet, introduce fibre slowly to avoid digestive upset.

For more gut-loving food tips, check out 6 reasons you should be eating millet and 5 reasons to add quinoa into your diet!.

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.

References

• 1
  https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/
• 2
  https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!