Nutrition Facts For Boiled Lentils

Don't be fooled by the plain and unassuming lentil -- this demure legume is a nutritional superstar. Lentils boil in just 15 to 30 minutes and lend themselves well to salads and soups. They are hearty enough for a main course. Give lentils a try in your diet for both the flavor and the benefits.

Fiber

One cup of boiled lentils contains nearly 16 g of fiber, also known as bulk. The average American only gets about 15 g of fiber each day. However, children and adult should get a minimum of 20 g of fiber, and teens and men need 30 to 35 g or even more, recommends the Harvard School of Public Health. Lentils are a good source of soluble fiber, which lowers harmful LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Protein

A few times a week, eat protein-rich, low-fat lentils in place of meats that are high in protein, but also high in saturated fat. One cup of lentils has nearly 18 g of protein but only 1 g of fat. Protein is required for the growth and maintenance of all your cells, tissues and organs. Your body requires a daily supply of the 20 or so amino acids that are building blocks of protein. Although protein from animal sources contains all the necessary amino acids, protein from most plant sources, such as lentils, does not. Eat lentils along with a variety of food over the course of a day to get all the amino acids needed to create complete protein.

Folate

Lentils are folate superstars. One cup of lentils contains 90 percent of the daily recommended amount of folate, a B-vitamin with important health benefits. Folate is vital for women who are planning to become pregnant or who are pregnant because it significantly reduces the chance for birth defects, such as anencephaly and spina bifida, during the first few weeks after conception. Folate, together with vitamins B-6 and B-12, may also help prevent heart disease and stroke. These three B vitamins are suspected of protecting blood vessels by lowering homocysteine, a substance produced by the body that's linked with the development of clogged arteries.

Manganese

One cup of lentils provides you with half the manganese you need in a day. Manganese is a mineral your body needs to form sex hormones, blood clotting factors, connective tissue and bones. Manganese also has a part in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, blood sugar regulation, normal brain and nerve function and calcium absorption, and is a component of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, which helps fight cell-damaging free radicals.

Potassium

Lentils are a good source of potassium. In 2011, researchers at the Federico II University of Naples Medical School in Italy found that a potassium-rich diet significantly reduced the risk of stroke and could possibly reduce the risk of heart disease. One cup of boiled lentils contains 730 mg of potassium, which is 20 percent of the recommended daily amount. Researchers suspect potassium's protective effects come from its ability to lower blood pressure and slow the process of atherosclerosis.