Sweet Potato, Vegetable and Lentil Chilli | Slimming Eats Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are lentils and sweet potatoes good for you? ›

Lentils and sweet potatoes, when combined, provide a complementary amino acid profile that can contribute to a more complete protein intake. While lentils are considered a good source of plant-based protein, they are not considered a complete protein on their own as they lack some essential amino acids.

Add cooked, diced sweet potatoes to soups or salads. For a quick meal, slice a baked sweet potato in half and top with cooked beans, broccoli, and feta cheese or Greek yogurt. For mashed sweet potatoes: Use a fork, masher, or blender to puree the cooked potatoes.

Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

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.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

Sweet potatoes are known to be high in fiber and have a low glycemic index, which results in a less immediate impact on blood glucose levels. This can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels in check. Sweet potatoes can be: Baked or microwaved.

However, there is no one specific "best" time to eat sweet potatoes for weight loss. It is more important to focus on the overall balance and timing of your meals throughout the day. Some experts recommend eating a small, balanced meal or snack every 3-4 hours to help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent overeating.

Eating more lentils may help people maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Replacing energy-dense (or high calorie) foods with legumes such as lentils can help people prevent or manage obesity and lose weight. Research suggests that regularly eating lentils may help with the management and prevention of diabetes.

Grains Grains, such as rice, oats, wheat, rye and corn, can act as complementary proteins for legumes such as lentils. They contain the cysteine and methionine that lentils lack, and lentils provide the lysine that grains do not contain enough of. Whole grains are a more nutritious option than refined grains.

The bottom line

Whether brown, green, yellow, red, or black, lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein. They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors.

Are lentils better for you than potatoes? ›

Lentils can also help reduce blood sugar. In a study that included 48 healthy adults, replacing half of the carbs from rice or potatoes with carbs from cooked lentils at a meal led to significant decreases in post-meal blood sugars compared with eating rice or potatoes alone (12).