Why lentils are bad

These seeds are not eaten fresh, like beans, but are consumed after they are dried properly. Lentils are found in different varieties. Their color, shape, taste, and consistency of soup vary from one variety to another. So while preparing lentils, you need to know which type of lentil you are dealing with to have the exact and perfect taste.

Some of these varieties are described below:. Brown lentils, also known as European lentils, are the most common type of lentils. These lentils are known to be best for stews and soups and take minutes to cook.

These lentils are used commonly for veggie burgers and in the filling of samosas. Green lentils, also known as French lentils, are the same in size as brown lentils but with a glossy surface. They are a good voice for making salads. But you need to be more patient while cooking them because they take about 45 minutes to cook. Red lentils, also known as Egyptian lentils, are not red rather they are orange.

As their seed coat has been removed, they take only minutes to cook. This is the reason, that they are considered to be ideal for making soup. Yellow lentils are commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.

Generally speaking, lectins are a type of glyca-binding protein, meaning proteins that bind to carbohydrates in your body. There are many types of lectins, and the main difference between them is the type of sugar each prefers and binds to in your body.

As noted by Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof. One major concern is that most lectins are proinflammatory, meaning they trigger inflammation and create advanced glycation end products.

Certain lectins may also increase your blood viscosity by binding to your red blood cells. This makes the blood cells sticky, resulting in abnormal clotting. Some lectins such as WGA may even interfere with gene expression and disrupt endocrine function. Lectins also promote leptin resistance, thereby increasing your risk of obesity. All of these factors can predispose you to disease.

Proteases are enzymes that break down proteins. So Protease Inhibitors are molecules that stop proteases from doing their job. In your body, because protease inhibitors keep proteins from being properly broken down and absorbed, your body starts producing too much of certain enzymes.

When this happens, it can lead to all sorts of problems like Leaky Gut, chronic inflammation, and allergic reactions. Soy is particularly bad about this, but most legumes are quite high in protease inhibitors. Phytoestrogens are not actually estrogen, but they act like estrogen. Inside your body, phytoestrogens bind to the same receptors that estrogen binds to, but phytoestrogens give a much weaker signal than estrogen.

Because the signals are weak, your body will often over-produce estrogen, which will disrupt your entire hormonal system. This can lead to a variety of problems, such as disrupted reproduction and infertility, bladder cancer, asthma, and increased incidence of Alzheimers. Your goal is to take measures to reset thyroid function and balance hormones again. Keeping legumes and lentils a regular part of you diet will definitely not help you balance hormones. If lentils and legumes are a regular part of your diet and you suffer thyroid illness then this is a good time to cut it out.

Legumes are extremely high in saponins. Ok…but what the heck are saponins??? Saponins are compounds that are found in many plants, including most legumes.

They have a particular chemical structure that allows them to bind to the surface of your intestinal cells. Yes, you can freeze lentils, but there is little need to freeze the dried variety since they last for a few years in a sealed, air-tight bag in your cupboard. Make sure you keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, and you should be fine. However, freezing cooked lentils is a fantastic idea if you want them to keep longer than the three to five days they stay edible in the refrigerator.

Sometimes you may not want to eat them four days in a row, so freezing is a logical step. After rinsing lentils, checking for pebbles, and cooking for 20 minutes or so, let them cool and place them in a strainer to remove any excess water. Otherwise, the liquid makes the lentils stick together in a big clump when frozen.

Divide them into convenient portions if you want before placing them in air-tight plastic bags or containers. It also prevents you from defrosting the entire package since once you thaw any food, you should not freeze it again.

Be sure not to overfill your bags or containers since the lentils or any food expands during the freezing process. Freshly cooked lentils maintain their quality for as long as six months in the freezer.

To thaw, I recommend taking them out and leaving them to slowly thaw in the fridge overnight. You can also use a microwave to quickly defrost, however I find that the taste is better if you let them thaw properly before use. Regardless of how long they spent in the freezer, always check your lentils carefully.

If they look or smell unusual, discard them and start fresh. Contents 1 Do Lentils Go Bad? As if they had never expanded, as if they had never softened. Because they had not. The sound that came out of me was guttural, horrid and possibly permanently injuring to my throat.

Merle hid under the bed, though to be fair she would have done that eventually anyway. I literally rended my garments. How many fucking times did I have to teach myself this lesson, that cooking was a thankless fucking business?

Even as I knew I was just throwing good money after bad I watched myself perform a series of tasks, each more idiotic than the next, trying to salvage my lentils, and, by extension, my life.

First I just waited a half an hour to see if they wouldn't just soften, knowing, of course, that they were not going to. I googled: "Why didn't my lentils get soft. There was no shortage of people demanding a reason and there was also no shortage of people smugly providing one.

I always follow the cardinal rule! Thank God, there was also no shortage of people who then responded, "Yes, thank you, lentil heroes! I know all the bullshit about tomatoes and lemons and not salting before but I have made this recipe before and cooked my lentils in stock and with tomatoes and the whole kit and kaboodle and there was no problem and what the fuck.

Why, I ask you, was I reading this shit when in a mere half hour I could have driven to the Foresthill Bridge—the very same one Vin Diesel drives a Corvette off of in XXX —and tossed the lentils, pot and all, into the raging waters of the American River? I had one more move, something that a few commenters suggested: I drained the lentils, reserved the liquid, and tried cooking them again in plain water.

I had quite forgotten about their chickens. Most of them were smart and stayed back but a really dumb one made a beeline for the stuff and then ran squawking out of it, her poor flapping feet raising clouds of steam. I had about a cup and a half of the dry lentils I had just bought left over. I cooked them in plain water. They were soft in about two minutes.

I put the new lentils in the old sauce. It was fine. But it needed something.