These Hearty Lentil Soup Recipes Will Become Your Go-to This Winter (2024)

FAQs

Why is lentil soup good for weight loss? ›

Lentils contain various essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, lectins, and polyphenols that help reduce the risk of conditions like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and some cancers. It's also an excellent source of: Protein.

It is a staple food throughout Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Lentil soup goes back to Genesis, with it possibly being the dish Jacob served Esau for his birthright and would have been eaten all over the Alexandrian empire, Middle East, and beyond.

We eat lentil soup because the little lentils resemble coins. So the custom of eating good-luck foods is all to gain prosperity for the new year.

However, it's worth bearing in mind – if you are planning on eating lentils every day – that the fibre they contain can be difficult to break down and can potentially cause gas and cramping if you eat too much of it.

Lentils have plenty of folate, iron and vitamin B1, which also support your heart health. Lentils may be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, by lowering bad cholesterol and blood pressure. One study found that eating lentils led to greater reductions in blood pressure than eating chickpeas, peas or beans.

ESV Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way.

Lentils were included in the list of foods, such as wheat, barley, parched grain, beans, honey, curds (clabbered milk) and cheese that Barzillai and others brought David and his followers, for they knew that “the troops must have grown hungry … in the wilderness” (II Samuel 17:29).

Another reason that lentils are known for causing gas and bloating is because they are high in what's called raffinose. Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) are known to cause stomach discomfort and bloating because the human body lacks the enzyme required to break them down within the digestive tract.

Lentils are a type of pulse. The name “pulse” refers to pols, a thick soup. They grow in pods and appear as lens-shaped seeds. Lentils were among one of the first crops to be domesticated in the Near East and have been part of our diets since the Stone Age.

Who cooked lentils in the Bible? ›

According to Genesis 25, Jacob cooked up a lentil stew so delectable that his brother, Esau, agreed to sell his birthright for it. The birthright typically went to the first born son, and it meant, among a host of privileges, inheriting twice as much of the father's possessions.

Lentils for Good Fortune

For Mexicans, eating a spoonful of cooked lentils is meant to bring good fortune in the coming year. Alternatively, a bag of dried lentils is left outside the front door.

If you eat fiber-rich lentils regularly, they can cause gas and bloating. If you are sensitive to fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyol (FODMAP) foods, lentils can cause discomfort, as well as bloating and gas in the colon.

In India, where roughly half of the world's lentils are consumed, cultivation dates back to 2500 B.C. Today, more than 50 different varieties are grown. Nearly every traditional Indian meal includes at least one lentil dish, and they are an important source of nutrients for millions of vegetarians on the subcontinent.

Lentils are high in fiber, which supports regular bowel movements and the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Eating lentils can increase your stool weight and improve your overall gut function ( 5 ).

3. Get rid of that spare tire: In a recent 18-month study, folks who enjoyed lots of pulses (edible seeds of leguminous plants) like lentils lost more belly weight! Their fibre intake was higher, vitamins and minerals like chromium were better maintained, and the glycemic index of their meals was lower.

Lentils and beans are rich in soluble fiber, which is the single best carbohydrate to help you burn belly fat. "Soluble fiber forms a thick gel when it binds with water in the body," Tracy said. "This gel that forms therefore slows digestion in the body, which keeps you feeling full for longer!

Lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber. Both of which are essential for weight loss. These legumes are also low in calories and fat, making them the perfect food for those trying to lose weight. Additionally, lentils are a good source of iron, which is essential for energy levels.

Eating about 3/4 cup (130 grams) each day of these foods known as pulses led to a weight loss of 0.34 kilograms (just over half a pound), in a systematic review and meta-analysis of all available clinical trials on the effects of eating pulses.