What’s the Most Beneficial Food?
posted by Dr. Brent May 25, 2009 7:27 am
Q: If you had to chose one food that everyone should incorporate into their diet what would it be?


A: This is a loaded question, as I always encourage people to eat a well-balanced diet. However, the one nutrient that has the most health benefits and is generally under-represented in the American diet is fiber. Adults should get 35 grams a day. If you monitored your diet for a day, you’re likely to find that you fall far short of this goal.

Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food, raise goats, and make goat milk soap on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.

Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.
More on Ask Dr. Brent (119 articles available)
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What are dry peas?

3 pictures of varieties of dry peas, lentils and chickpeas respectively..Peas probably originated in northwest Asia. In Thailand, peas have been found in caves that are over 11,000 years old. Dry peas are dried naturally by the late summer sun. They are most commonly split, which speeds cooking time. How are they split? During processing, peas are sorted. Then they are bombarded against a baffler, which causes them to split in two. Americans are most familiar with green peas, but yellow peas are also grown in the Palouse region of the US. They are most commonly consumed in Scandinavia and taste slightly different than green peas.

What is a lentil?

The lentil is a cousin of the bean, and both are a part of the legume family. All legumes are seeds that grow within pods. Lentils are shaped like a lens. In fact, lens is the Latin word for lentil. The size and appearance of lentils varies depending on the variety. The outer seed coat can be mottled or speckled, and ranges in color from reddish-brown to greyish-brown to green. The inner coat, or cotyledon, can be red or yellow.

What is a chickpea?

The chickpea was originally cultivated on the lands bordering Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean. From there it spread to India and some parts of East Asia. Chickpeas are shaped with a beak resembling that of a baby chick. Chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans.

Super Foods for Your Healthy Lifestyle!

We gave you the basic scoop on peas. We explained the difference between a legume and a pulse and a pea and a bean. Now, we are going to talk about why peas, lentils, and chickpeas are so good for your body.

5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Them!



1. High in Fiber
2. High in Protein
3. Low Glycemic Index
4. High in Folate
5. Antioxidants

Why is Fiber so Important?
Why is Protein so Important?
What does low glycemic index mean?
What types of antioxidants are provided by peas and lentils?
What do they taste like?
How much should you consume?
Where can I buy Lentils and Chickpeas?
Dry Peas Nutrition Facts
Lentils Nutrition Facts
Chickpeas Nutrition Facts


Fiber is Essential for Regulation

One-half cup of cooked peas or lentils provides more than 10 grams of dietary fiber. Vegetables average 5 grams, and grains average 3 grams. A high fiber diet may help prevent heart disease and some cancers.

Fiber-rich foods tend to contain various types of fiber. Peas, lentils, and chickpeas contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber aids digestion and adds bulk to stool, hastening the passage of fecal material through the gut, thus helping to prevent or alleviate constipation. Fiber also may help reduce the risk of diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches form in the colon wall (usually from the pressure of straining during bowel movements). People who already have diverticulosis often find that increased fiber consumption can alleviate symptoms, which include constipation and/or diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, and mucus or blood in the stool. Because insoluble fiber is indigestible and passes through the body virtually intact, it provides few calories. And since the digestive tract can handle only so much bulk at a time, fiber-rich foods are more filling than other foods--so people tend to eat less.

Soluble fiber traps carbohydrates to slow their digestion and absorption, helping prevent wide swings in blood sugar level throughout the day. This is especially helpful to those that have been diagnosed with diabetes. Soluble fiber also binds to dietary cholesterol, helping the body to eliminate it. This reduces blood cholesterol levels, which, in turn, reduces cholesterol deposits on arterial walls that eventually choke off the vessel. There also is some evidence that soluble fiber can slow the liver's manufacture of cholesterol, as well as alter low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles to make them larger and less dense. Researchers believe that small, dense LDL particles pose a bigger health threat.
https://www.pea-lentil.com/nutrition.htm
https://www.pea-lentil.com/consumer.htm
USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council
Representing growers, processors, and exporters of peas, chickpeas (garbanzos) and lentils. Includes recipes, markets, health information, farm and export ...
www.pea-lentil.com/