By Kavita Devgan
Lentils today are a mainstay of most meals across the country, but the interesting part of the lentil story is that while we think of dals as an Indian staple, the truth is they probably came to us way after a lot of other civilisations. Lebanese people love them (hummus and falafel), and Egyptians have their own form of khichri called Koshari. In fact, dals are eaten in almost all countries and many cuisines around the world.
In India of course they are omnipresent. There are multiple varieties of regional dals that are eaten across the length and breadth of the country. This is extremely good news from the nutrition perspective as they have a lot going on for them. In fact Tata Sampann dals, should be an essential, and substantial part of all healthy, balanced diets. They are a good source of protein, and are packed with lots of other essential nutrients and antioxidants too, besides of course being super tasty!
Their high protein content can be a big help, especially for strict vegetarians and vegans as when combined with a grain (for example dal chawal, humus and toast, khichri, dal parantha) they deliver complete protein with all the essential amino acids. And eating enough good quality protein is a very important prerequisite of eating a balanced diet.
They can help meet another important requirement of a robust meal, which is eating enough fibre, as they deliver substantial fibre which not just fills you up with less, and keeps your gut happy, but also helps improve heart health by lowering bad cholesterol levels.
Sampann Dals are loaded with nutrients and are high in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium, and they also deliver iron, zinc, folate, selenium and magnesium, all of which help heart health further.
The three solid pillars of good health are: nutrients, good quality protein, and fibre for gut health – and Tata Sampann’s pulses deliver all three in abundance. What also works for them is that they are a very cost effective source of good quality protein – a boon for vegetarians especially who often don’t score enough.
Finally, they contain virtually no fat, and are low in calories so can and should be a mainstay of all balanced, nutrition diets. The best news about Tata Sampann’s dals is that it is extremely versatile; you can make everything from snacks to stews, pilafs, and salads from them. So put on your thinking caps and whip up interesting lentil delicacies to ensure that you eat more of this amazingly nutritious food every day.
And they are of course super tasty!
(Kavita Devgan is the Nutrition Advisor at Tata Sampann)
