When you work out, especially during strength training, your muscles undergo small tears. Protein helps repair them and grow stronger muscles. What happens if you don’t eat enough protein? Your body won’t build muscle even if you train very hard.
They are natural, easy to digest, and full of nutrients.
Top 5 High-Protein Lentils for Muscle Gain
1. Moong Dal (Green Gram)
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Protein: 24g per 100g (raw)
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Why is it better? Light on the stomach, fast to cook, and rich in protein and fiber.
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How to include it in your diets? Make dal, or just eat sprouts, maybe you can add it to salads. Sprouted moong would be a great option for breakfast or snacks.
Also Read: Importance of mung dal in your fitness
2. Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)
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Protein: 25g per 100g (raw)
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Why is it better? You may cook it quickly and contain iron, which helps in carrying oxygen to muscles.
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How to include it in your diets? You may use it in your recipes and combine it with rice or chapathi. Easy for daily meals.
Also read: How to boost iron absorption?
3. Toor Dal (Pigeon Peas)
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Protein: 22g per 100g (raw)
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Why is it better? Toor dal is common in Indian homes, tasty and good for muscle and energy.
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How to include it in your diets? Can be used in sambar, dal fry, or khichdi. You may add vegetables to make it a full balanced diet meal.
Also read: Top muscle building foods for indian vegetarians
4. Urad Dal (Black Gram)
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Protein: 25g per 100g when consumed raw.
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Why is it better? It’s one of the richest dals in protein. Urad dal is great for South Indian dishes. Especially, fermented foods like dosa and Idly are prepared using this dal
Also read: Importance of fermented food for you
5. Chana Dal (Split Bengal Gram)
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Protein: 21g per 100g
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Why is it better? Chana dal has high protein and slow-digesting carbs. Keeps you full for long.
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How to include it in your diets? Make chana dal curry or mix it with spinach or bottle gourd.
What are the other Vegetarian Protein Sources?
Lentils are great, but you can mix them with other plant proteins for better results:
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Paneer : Good source of slow-digesting protein
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Tofu & Soybeans: Best option for plant protein
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Peanuts & Almonds: Provides a protein plus healthy fats
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Quinoa: Rare plant that gives all essential amino acids
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Whey or Plant Protein Powders: Quite helpful if you're training hard at the gym.
Are Lentils a Complete Protein?
No, similar to most of the plant protein, lentils are not a complete protein.
Which means they don’t have all 9 essential amino acids. Amino Acids are important to your body in muscle repair and growth.
How to Make Lentils a Complete Protein?
Just pair your lentils with:
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Rice
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Chapati (whole wheat roti)
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Quinoa
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Nuts or seeds
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Dairy like curd or paneer
Conclusion
Although some types of lentils can provide the right option for protein. Also, the right combinations give you all 9 essential amino acids your body needs. So yes, lentils become complete only when you combine them with the right foods.
