Lentils

What it does

Fiber + protein digest slowly; resistant starch feeds the gut.

• Linked to longer life
• Steadies blood sugar

Where the number comes from

Lentils sits in the legumes group of the Fadnes model, the only peer-reviewed model that converts eating into years of life. The lifetime gain for that group is spread across the days you actually eat it — a daily serving from age 20 to 80 — which gives +56 min per serving. The authors rate the evidence behind this group as moderate.

What it is made of

• Fibre
• Plant protein
• Resistant starch
• Folate

Which kind

• Red lentil — fastest cooking, everyday dal
• Mung — lightest on the stomach
• Black gram — more resistant starch

How to eat it

A daily bowl — any dal counts.

Source: Darmadi-Blackberry et al. · Asia Pacific J Clinical Nutrition, 2004 (cohort).

Minutes derived from Fadnes LT, Økland J-M, Haaland ØA, Johansson KA. Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study. PLOS Medicine 19(2):e1003889, 2022. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889