Know2eat

Lentils

Lens culinaris

Also known as Dal, Masoor, Puy lentils, Red lentils

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Flat pulses sold whole or split, and the only common legume that cooks from dry without soaking. The USDA reference entry is for the raw dry lentil, which roughly triples in weight when boiled, so cooked lentils are far more dilute per 100 g.

Weight ManagementWomen's HealthBlood Sugar & Metabolic HealthHeart Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Moderate evidence

Some trials report greater fullness and lower subsequent energy intake after pulse-containing meals than after equal-calorie control meals, with less consistent effects on body weight over longer periods.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Iron status

Women's Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited. Lentils carry appreciable non-heme iron, but absorption is constrained by phytate, and trials showing improved iron status from lentil intake alone are scarce.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Insufficient evidence

Research consistently shows that pulses including lentils produce a markedly lower post-meal glucose response than equivalent portions of potato, rice or bread, and meta-analyses of longer trials also report improvements in fasting glucose and HbA1c when pulses are added to the diet.

What may be going on: Intact cell walls, slowly digested starch, viscous fibre and a high proportion of resistant starch all slow the release of glucose from the meal.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Several trials and pooled analyses report modest reductions in LDL cholesterol when pulses are added to or substituted into the diet, with the effect on lentils specifically less separable from pulses in general.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Lentils

Ask about Lentils

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories352 kcal18%
Protein24.6 g49%
Total fat1.06 g1%
Carbohydrate63.4 g23%
Fibre10.7 g38%
Total sugars2.03 g—
Water8.26 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.154 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.193 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.526 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.414 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A2 µg0%
Vitamin C4.5 mg5%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.49 mg3%
Vitamin K5 µg4%
Thiamin (B1)0.873 mg73%
Riboflavin (B2)0.211 mg16%
Niacin (B3)2.6 mg16%
Pantothenic acid (B5)2.14 mg43%
Vitamin B60.54 mg32%
Folate479 µg120%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline96.4 mg18%
Minerals
Calcium35 mg3%
Iron6.51 mg36%
Magnesium47 mg11%
Phosphorus281 mg22%
Potassium677 mg14%
Sodium6 mg0%
Zinc3.27 mg30%
Copper0.754 mg84%
Manganese1.39 mg61%
Selenium0.1 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene23 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash2.71 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Lentils, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172420).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • soakedReduces phytate and oligosaccharides

    Soaking and discarding the water lowers both phytate and the fermentable oligosaccharides responsible for gas, at some cost in water-soluble nutrients.

  • sproutedReduces phytate

    Sprouting lentils activates phytase, reduces phytate and increases the availability of iron and zinc. Sprouts should be handled carefully, since raw sprouts are a recognised vehicle for foodborne pathogens.

  • cookedIncreases resistant starch

    Cooking lentils and then cooling them retrogrades part of the starch into resistant starch, shifting some carbohydrate to colonic fermentation.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    FODMAPs and IBS

    Lentils are high in galacto-oligosaccharides, a FODMAP group that commonly triggers bloating, wind and pain in irritable bowel syndrome. Rinsing canned lentils well and starting with small portions reduces symptoms, since much of the GOS leaches into the liquid.

  • Worth knowing

    Phytate and mineral absorption

    Lentils supply useful iron and zinc, but their phytate binds both, and the iron is non-heme and therefore less well absorbed to begin with. Vitamin C in the same meal improves iron uptake appreciably.

  • Worth knowing

    Adaptation period

    Gas and bloating on introducing pulses generally lessen over a few weeks as the colonic microbiota adapts. Increasing the portion gradually is more effective than avoiding them.