Urad dal -health benefits | Health benefits of black urad dal

Urad dal -health benefits | Health benefits of black urad dal

 Urad dal is also called as white lentils or black lentils. Also urad dal is found to be used as major ingredient in Indian cuisine for preparing a healthy diet.Black urad dal/lentil is the whole form of urad dal. There is not much difference between black and white lentils other than the outer husk/covering. In white lentil the outer skin/husk is removed.

Availability :

Urad is available in market as black split bean, split and dehusked bean,whole black bean/lentil.

Nutritional facts :

 This serves to be a protein rich dal for the vegetarians providing all the required essential nutrients. They are also easy to get digested.

Black gram is rich in minerals,vitamins and is devoid of cholesterol.

It is a store house of copper, iron , magnesium, manganese, calcium,potassium and many more.

How to use in cooking :

1. Making soft idly
2. Use the black lentils while frying to grind chutneys.
3. Used while making dal makhani
4. White lentils are used along with channa dal while tempering/ tadka.

Split urad dal/lentil

Health benefits :

• Black gram serves to have an Anti-aging property helping to get a fair and flawless skin.
• They acts as Vitalizer for proper hair growth. You can either add in your diet or apply as hair mask.
• Black lentils are found to have the protein,fat and carbohydrate that are required by the human body.
• Black gram is found to be the healthy pulse,as it is rich in iron. They helps to boost up the energy levels and keep us active.
• Urad dal is also good for heart,reduces cholesterol and improves cardiovascular health.
• To have a strong bones consume black urad dal regularly. Urad dal has both soluble and insoluble fibres helping to relieve from constipation
• It increases milk secretion in lactating mothers and also increases the sperm quality and count.

Black and white split lentils

Baby foods :

As they are good source of all vital elements,rich in fiber,easily digestible, urad is basically recommended by doctors to feed the baby in the form of idlys. Any time healthy and safest food is always bagged by idly.

For new mothers :

I will try to update soon the recipe of urad dal kazhi/urad dal balls which is given to ladies after delivary in villages. The scientific reason behind this is to improve the bone strength and maintain the calcium level,which might drop while feeding the babies.

Note :

1. When you compare the nutritional and health benefits,black lentils provide more nutrients. So try to introduce mostly black lentils in your regular cooking.
2. I far I know in our village tradition, we soak the whole black gram and wash many times to remove the outer skin and then grind for idlys. Since this is a time consuming process, we nowadays choose to soak white lentils for idly

References :

Few notes from boldsky and also from books and experts of village ancestral doctors.

Try to intake black gram dal in your diet