Posted: May 11, 08 12:48am
Healing Foods of the Bible
The Scripture and your diet
Lentils
Genesis 25:34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.
2 Samuel 17:28 Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
Ezekiel 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, even three hundred and ninety days, shalt thou eat thereof.
Lentils May Help With:
Lower risk of coronary heart disease. Lentils' magnesium is a calcium channel blocker. When the body has enough magnesium, veins and arteries relax, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart.
Stabilizing blood sugar. In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive system and the heart, soluble fiber helps stabilize blood sugar levels. If you have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, legumes like lentils can help you balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy. Studies of high fiber diets and blood sugar levels have shown the benefits provided by these high fiber foods.
Iron content. In addition to providing slow-burning complex carbohydrates, lentils are one of the best vegetable sources of iron. This makes them an important part of a vegetarian diet, and useful for preventing iron deficiency. Iron is particularly important for adolescents, and menstruating or pregnant women, whose requirements for it are increased.
Healthy weight loss. Eating foods like lentils with a long, gentle release of sugar -- a low-glycemic index -- may help people lose weight. People eating low-glycemic index diets lost a mean of more than 2 pounds than those on similar calorie high-glycemic index diets.
