Masoor dal for diabetes: GI, carbs and how to eat it

Yes, as part of the meal, with three conditions: measure the portion, let it take the place of some rice or roti rather than joining them, and keep the cooking light. The evidence points the same way. In a 2009 systematic review and meta-analysis of 41 randomised trials in people with and without diabetes, pulses alone lowered fasting blood glucose and insulin; in low-GI diets they lowered HbA1c or fructosamine; and in high-fibre diets they lowered fasting blood glucose and the same glycosylated proteins. The review pooled pulses as a group, lentils among them, and the authors read the result as improved markers of longer-term glycaemic control; differences between trials were high, so the size of the benefit varied a lot from study to study.

None of that makes masoor a medicine. It is a carbohydrate food: 52.53 g of carbohydrate per 100 g of raw dal. That carbohydrate comes with 10.43 g of fibre and 24.35 g of protein per 100 g, and boiled red lentils test low on the glycemic index. Eaten as a second helping on top of a full rice plate, it adds carbohydrate like anything else.

The University of Sydney's glycemic index database holds five entries for boiled red lentils; their mean is 25, with individual tests spread from 18 to 32. Every entry was measured outside India, in Canada and the UK, and no India-tested plain masoor entry exists in the database, so 25 is the working number rather than a home-tested one. The database marks the low band at 55 and under and the high band at 70 and over, which places masoor dal in the low band.

Read the GI with two reminders. First, the number describes a standard test portion, not a plate: under the international standard method, ten or more healthy people eat a portion carrying 50 g of digestible carbohydrate, and each person's two-hour blood glucose response is compared with their response to the same amount of glucose. Second, what you eat with the dal moves the meal's response. A katori of cooked masoor made from 30 g of dry dal holds about 15.8 g of carbohydrate and 3.1 g of fibre; serve it with rice and the rice adds its own carbohydrate on top. That arithmetic, not the GI alone, is why portion size is the first lever. See the full comparison in masoor dal vs toor dal.

The table gives IFCT 2017's per-100 g values for raw masoor dal. For a person with diabetes, the rows that matter are carbohydrate, fibre and the GI, with the katori arithmetic below them.

A katori of cooked masoor dal is made from 30 g of dry dal. That is about 97 kcal, 7.3 g of protein, 15.8 g of carbohydrate and 3.1 g of fibre, with 0.2 g of fat. ICMR-NIN explains the mechanism plainly: dietary fibre delays and retards absorption of carbohydrates and fats and increases the satiety value, and diets rich in fibre reduce glucose and lipids in blood. A 2014 review of pulses adds the longer view: pulses are high in fibre and have a low glycemic index, which makes them particularly beneficial to people with diabetes by assisting in maintaining healthy blood glucose and insulin levels.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN). GI: University of Sydney GI database. — means not reported. These are average values for the food; the label on a pack gives the values for that product.

Amount first. The ICMR-NIN daily plate sets pulses and legumes at 85 g a day for an adult. In kitchen terms, a katori of cooked dal from 30 g of dry dal sits comfortably within that. For the person counting carbohydrates, one katori carries about 15.8 g of carbohydrate; set that against the dietitian's target for the meal.

Then the pairings. The guidelines find that an appropriate combination of cereals with pulses in the ratio of 3:1 (raw weight) can meet the requirement for all the essential amino acids, which is the old dal-chawal wisdom made measurable. Cook the dal the way the guidelines prefer: boiling or pressure cooking increases the digestibility of pulses and therefore their protein availability, and it destroys the anti-nutritional factors that block nutrients. Pair the katori with vegetables and curd, and keep the tempering light. Recipes that fit: masoor dal tadka made with a small tempering, masoor dal khichdi, and masoor dal soup. If weight is also on the table, masoor dal for weight loss covers the calorie side, and the masoor dal guide covers the cooking.

Better:

• A katori of plain tadka dal with a small tempering of oil, eaten with vegetables and a measured share of rice or rotis.
• Masoor khichdi in a measured bowl; rice and dal cooked together is the cereal-pulse pairing the guidelines describe.
• Masoor soup as a first course, counted in the meal's carbohydrate rather than added on top.
• Dal with a bowl of curd on the side, for the meal's protein spread.

Worse:

• Masoor dal on top of the full rice or roti portion, as an extra course.
• Heavy ghee or oil temperings that turn a light dal into a rich one.
• Sweetened or packaged mixes; sugar arrives on top of the dal's own carbohydrate.
• Dal water or a thin soup in place of a meal; a watery bowl holds little of the dal itself.

Same dishes for the whole family; the person with diabetes changes the portion. More ideas are in the masoor dal recipes roundup.

Blood sugar is managed with medication, monitoring and a personal meal plan, and a change of staple food touches all three. If you take medicines that lower blood glucose, swapping part of your rice for dal changes the carbohydrate your body sees, so agree the change and the portion with your doctor before you start, and take your meter readings along. A dietitian can fit masoor into your carbohydrate counting. For the portion and timing that suit your numbers, talk to your doctor or dietitian.

How much protein in masoor dal?

Raw masoor dal gives 24.35 g of protein per 100 g (IFCT 2017). A katori of cooked dal made from 30 g of dry dal holds about 7.3 g of protein, and a larger plate portion of 50 g dry gives about 12.2 g. With rice or roti in the same meal, the dal's protein rounds out the cereal's.

Is red lentils good for health?

Red lentils, the split and skinned form of masoor, fit a healthy daily plate: 24.35 g of protein, 10.43 g of fibre and 7.06 mg of iron per 100 g, with almost no fat at 0.75 g. The number that matters for diabetes is the low glycemic index, a mean of 25 for boiled red lentils. They are a food to eat in measured portions, not a medicine.

What is the glycemic index of masoor dal?

It is 25, the mean of the University of Sydney database's five entries for boiled red lentils, with individual tests spread from 18 to 32. All five were measured outside India. The database counts 55 or under as low, so masoor dal is a low-GI food. The value describes plain boiled lentils; the meal's total response depends on what you eat with them.

Can we eat masoor dal daily?

Yes, within the day's pulse allowance: the ICMR-NIN plate sets pulses and legumes at 85 g a day, which a katori of cooked dal from 30 g of dry dal fits easily. Rotate masoor with other dals through the week, keep the tempering light and the portion measured, and check your readings after meals to see your own response.