Curried lentils, a common Indian dish, combines meaty lentils with the spicy taste of curry. This dish packs a big flavor punch, but it is low in fat and provides a moderate quantity of calories. It is also quite good for you in terms of nutrition -- it serves up a range of healthy macronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Calories and Fat
A serving of one brand of curried lentils -- 2/3 cup of dry mix, prepared -- contains 210 calories, which makes this hearty food an option to serve as a main dish or a side vegetable portion, depending on your nutritional goals and calorie needs. Ten calories of this serving derive from fat, about 1 g.
Carbohydrates
Eat a serving of curried lentils, and you take in 36 g of carbohydrates. The quantity of carbs in this bean dish satisfies a considerable portion of the 130 g of this macronutrient required daily. The carbohydrates in this lentil dish deliver energy -- your body calls up the carbs you eat as a source of fuel before other nutrients -- but they also keep your brain functioning at optimal levels.
Fiber
Curried lentils are an excellent source of fiber, with 19 g in each serving. Ideal daily fiber intake ranges from 25 to 38 g, so this dish is a smart choice for boosting fiber intake. This is especially important for African-Americans -- a study published in the December 2006 issue of the "Journal of the National Black Nurses' Association" investigated the dietary habits of nearly 200 African-American men and women who underwent colonoscopies, and researchers found the consumption of lentils and other legumes correlated to a decreased risk of colorectal cancer in this population. Researchers suggest the fiber content of lentils play a role in this effect.
Protein
One serving of curried lentils provides 17 g of protein. Because vegetarians must rely on protein from nonanimal sources, this dish is a good choice -- vegetarians and meat-eaters alike require 46 to 56 g of protein in their diets each day. The protein in curried lentils also serves as a source of fuel for your body, and it plays a key role in your ability to heal tissues and build new cells.
Vitamins and Minerals
Eat curried lentils to boost your consumption of iron. Each serving of this dish contains 35 percent of the daily recommended intake of this mineral if you eat a 2,000-calorie diet. The iron you get in this food helps create hemoglobin and myoglobin, compounds found in your blood that carry oxygen to cells. You also take in lesser amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A and calcium in a serving of curried lentils.
Considerations
Some prepared foods and recipes for curried lentils may contain high amounts of sodium, making it inappropriate for some diets. A serving of this dish has 620 mg of sodium, over 1/3 of the suggested daily limit of 1,500 mg. Making this dish from scratch affords you the best opportunity to lower its sodium content -- cut down or eliminate the salt called for in any recipe to decrease sodium intake.
References
- Taste Adventure: Curried Lentil
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients
- McKinley Health Center; Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat; March 2008
- "Journal of National Black Nurses' Association"; Legume Intake and Reduced Colorectal Adenoma Risk in African-Americans; T. Agurs-Collins, et al.; December 2006
- Office of Dietary Supplements; Iron; August 2007
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Americans Consume Too Much Sodium (Salt); February 2011
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