These 10 Health Benefits of Lentils Will Make You Think Twice

4. Ideal Food for Pregnancy

Lentils are rich in many nutrients which are essential to a healthy pregnancy, including protein, fiber, folate, and iron.

Folate is also referred to as vitamin B9, or folic acid in its synthetic form. Deficiency in this essential nutrient has been linked to severe birth defects known as neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. That is why doctors recommend folic acid supplementation for women who are trying to conceive, and who are pregnant.

Iron is important for pregnancy because of the increase in blood volume that pregnant women experience. Women usually have up to a 50 percent increase in blood plasma, and about a 30 percent increase in red blood cells during pregnancy. Oxygen is carried by red blood cells to the growing baby through the umbilical cord and placenta. That is why it is so important for pregnant women to receive enough iron with which to facilitate the production of red blood cells.

A one-cup serving of lentils contains 358 micrograms (mcg) of folate, or 90% of your RDI, and 6.6mg of iron, or 37% of your RDI.