I giggle whenever I hear the word lentils. This may not be the normal reaction of most folks when faced with the idea of these small, rather mild-mannered, disc-shaped legumes.

I giggle because the word lentil conjures up memories of the classic 80s BBC comedy “The Young Ones”. A rabble of flat-broke undergrad roommates had ridiculous adventures and got into absurd situations. Neil, a milquetoasty hippie with an Ozzy Osbourne-like voice, always tried his best to stretch a buck (er, a pound) by cooking up pot after brimming pot of lentils.

“I wonder how many lentils I’ve ever eaten in my life,” Neil wonders aloud as he prepares yet another batch, to which punker Vyv responds, “Four?” It has to be more than that, Neil explains and goes on to say how “Lentils are really good, you know. No matter how many times you have them, they never get boring!”

Some might disagree, considering lentils’ subtle, modest flavour. But lentils lend themselves so well to more powerful tastes - spices, curries, soups. With their range of autumnal colours, lentils make a natural fall food stand-by - versatile, hearty, and very affordable.

And lentils’ nutritional profile is nothing to laugh at. These tiny titans burst with benefits!

What makes lentils so lovable:

At only 230 calories and less than one gram of fat per cup, lentils’ benefits far outweigh any weighty worries. Check out how much of your daily needs are met by scooping up just one cup:

- 40% of your daily iron

- 60% of your daily fibre

- 90% of your daily folate

- A third of your daily protein

For more reasons to love lentils, keep reading …

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["Corn flakes for breakfast? That's disgusting, Neil!"]