A good lentil dhal does the body (and soul) a whole lot of good after a busy day at work. It’s warm, tasty and apparently a great way to lower your blood glucose levels. A recent study out of the University of Guelph reveals that replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 percent.
Professors found that swapping out just half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can significantly improve your body’s response to the carbohydrates. For example, replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 percent, and replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35 percent drop.
Basically, pulses do this as they can slow digestion and the release of sugars found in starch into the bloodstream, which means they ultimately reduce blood glucose levels. Because pulses are extremely nutrient-dense they also have the potential to reduce chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels.
We also think lentils are great! To get more lentils in your diet how about trying our Horopito Lamb Salad with Lentils and Kawakawa Pesto or our One Pan Chicken with Pomegranate and Lentils? Or if you simply can’t resist a comforting dhal, try our Pigeon Pea Dal with Crunchy Cumin Lentils.
