10 Outstanding Health Benefits of Toor Dal, Arhar Dal + healthy toor dal recipes
Toor Dal is also called as Tuvar dal, Arhar dal, Toovar dal in India. It's also known as Split pigeon pea. This skinless split dal is yellow in colour and round in shape. It is widely used in Indian cooking for recipes like rasam, khichdi, dal, handvo, dal dhokli, dhokla, puranpoli etc. It commonly used in Gujarati households.
Dal Dhokli
1. Vegetarian Protein: Toor Dal is rich in protein, the building block of good health. Combined with any cereal, it provides complete protein which helps in building the muscles. Basic Toor Dal is one of the simplest every day fare to try.
Basic Toovar Dal Recipe, Toor Dal
2. Good for Weight watchers: It is high in dietary fibre, low in saturated fat, and is also cholesterol free. High fibre provides satiety and prevents eating in between meals. Fibre also binds body’s cholesterol and throws it out of the body. Hare Lehsun ki Toovar Dal is a wise choice for those aiming a trimmed waistline.
Hare Lehsun ki Toovar Dal
3. Folic Acid Rich: Being an excellent source of folic acid, pregnant women must include toor dal in their daily diet. Folic Acid is necessary for the development of the fetus and may help defend birth defects of the neural tube, such as spina bifida.Methi che Varan is a perfect recipe to make up for your daily needs of folate.
Methiche Varan
4. Relieves Constipation: Being an excellent source of fibre it helps in preventing and relieving gastric problems like constipation. See Palak Toovar Dal recipe.
Palak Toovar Dal
5. B-complex Vitamins: it is also a good source of B-vitamins in the form of Methi Leaves Sambhar that are essential for metabolism by helping convert nutrients into energy. Riboflavin acts as an anti-oxidant. Niacin is good for skin and prevents it from sun damage.
Methi Leaves Sambhar
6. Good for Bone Health: Toor dal is rich in phosphorus, and its main function is in the formation of bones and teeth. Try Dal and Vegetable Idli for breakfast.
Dal and Vegetable Idli ( Pregnancy Recipe)
7. Heart Health Benefits: Toor dal is a good source of phosphorus and magnesium, both of which help in maintaining normal heartbeat. Potassium also maintains the heart rhythm. Have this heart friendly Dahiwli Toovar Dal recipe.
Dahiwali Toovar Dal
8. Suitable for Diabetics: The glycemic index of toor dal is 29 which is low, therefore it is suitable for diabetics. Toor dal is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates which is the major form of energy. When you eat food it is broken down into glucose which is used by our body for energy. But the best part about complex carbs is it is released in the blood stream slowly and do not fluctuate your blood sugar rapidly. This makes it suitable for diabetics to have 30 grams of raw Toor dal at a time to manage your sugar levels. Try this diabetic friendly Methi Toovar Dal recipe.
Methi Toovar Dal, Healthy Recipe
9. Builds immunity: Being a rich source of magnesium it helps in building immunity. Magnesium is also required to carry out normal bodily functions as it is involved in more than 300 reactions of the body. USe toor dal in combination with other dals to make Mixed Dal Handvo.
Mixed Dal Handvo ( Gujarati Recipe)
10. Potassium Benefits: Potassium is an important mineral for body. It regulates the water and acid-base balance along with sodium. The human body relies on potassium balance for a regularly contracting heart and a healthy nervous system and it is essential to strive for this electrolyte's balance. South Indian Mixed Vegetable Brown Rice Khichdi with a bowl of curd is a healthy dinner option.
South Indian Mixed Vegetable Khichdi, Low Salt Recipe
Nutritional Information of Toor Dal
One cup of cooked Toor Dal is 175 grams and comes from 82 grams raw Toor Dal.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
Nutritional Information for 1 cup cooked Toor Dal.
275 Calories
18.28 grams of Protein
47.23 grams of Carbs
1.39 grams of Fat
Gujarati Toovar Dal
84.46 mcg of Folic Acid = 42.23% of RDA (about 200 mcg)
249.28 mg of Phosphorus (P) = 41.54% of RDA (about 600 mg)
0.36 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 30% of RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)
7.46 grams of Fibre = 29.84% of RDA (about 25 grams)
73.2 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 25.70% of RDA (about 350 mg)
2.37 mg of Vitamin B3, Niacin = 19.75% of RDA (about 12 mg)
905.28 mg of Potassium (K) = 19.26% of RDA (about 4,700 mg)
0.15 mg of Vitamin B2, Riboflavin = 13.6% of RDA (about 1.1 mg)
2.21 mg of Iron (Fe) = 10.52% of RDA (about 21 mg)
59.86 mg of Calcium (Ca) = 9.97% of RDA (about 600 mg)
0.73 mg of Zinc (Zn) = 7.30% of RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)
108.24 mcg of Vitamin A = 2.25 % of RDA (about 4800 mcg)
23.37 mg of Sodium (Na) = 1.22% of RDA (about 1902 mg)
10 healthy toor dal, arhar dal recipes
Toor dal is a very popular Indian dal. We present you 10 healthy toor dal recipes given below. Try the basic toor dal recipe with onions and no mixing of any other dal.
Toovar Dal, Toovar Dal with Onions
For spinach lovers there is the Palak Toovar Dal. Team your toor dal with methi to give a very attractive flavour. For South Indians we have the Dal rasam made of toovar dal. See here for an exhaustive collection of 387 Toor Dal recipes.
Dal Rasam, South Indian Toovar Dal Rasam