13 Health Benefits of Mung, Moong, Whole Green Gram, Whole Moong

Moong/Mung or green gram are small, round, olive-green colored legumes with a sweet flavor. They are one of the healthiest sources of plant protein and are found in different forms like whole, split, de-husked (yellow) and ground. It is a native to Asia and the US, and are extremely versatile. The mild, earthy flavor of the green moong can be enhanced using a myriad of ingredients to cook delicacies like dal, khichdi, dosa, handvo, chilla, fritters etc.

1. Moong Good for Red Blood Cells, Pregnant Women :

Mung is rich in Folate, Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially  red blood cells. It is particularly important for pregnant women to have enough folate. They must start having folate rich foods even while they are planning to conceive. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy can cause neural tube defects in the growing baby. Optimum folate levels need to be maintained before and during pregnancy ⁽¹⁾. Mums-to-be are always looking out for something more interesting to try, so we have come wup Whole Moong Dosa for them.

whole moong dosa recipe | healthy whole moong dosa | protein rich dosa

2. Mung Benefits for Heart :

Being rich in Antioxidants like Flavonoids, mung reduces the damage done by free radicals to the blood vessels and lowers inflammation. They help in the free flow of blood. It works with B vitamins to maintain normal heart rate. Being rich in magnesium which is associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease especially for women ⁽²⁾.

Mung beans have hypocholesterolemic activity mediated by enhancing bile acid excretion from the body ⁽³⁾. Sprout the mung beans and use them to make a eal out of it like Methi and Moong Sprouts Wrap. 

methi and moong sprouts wrap recipe | sprouted moong wrap | sprouted moong roll for weight loss | healthy Indian wrap for diabetes

3. Moong is an Excellent source of Protein for Vegetarians :

One cup of moong provides 28% of your protein for the day. Protein are critical for a variety of tasks, right from the formation of new cells, strong bones, haemoglobin, to managing the wear-and-tear of body cells.

Combine mung beans with cereals to increase the quality of protein. Try the recipe of Moong Sprouts Pesarattu. Each pesarattu lends only 89 calories along with 4.4 g of protein.

Moong Sprouts Pesarattu recipe | sprouts dosa | healthy Sprouts Pesarattu

4. Mung Benefits in Weight Loss :

As Moong is low in fat and high in protein and fibre, eating mung beans will keep you fuller for a longer time and prevent you from binge eating. Moong Sporouts and Spring Onion Tikki is a nourishing snack option which weight watchers can rely on. A study suggests that mung bean proteins can improve glucose and lipid metabolism and prevent fat accumulation ^(4).

^{moong sprouts and spring onion tikki recipe | diabetic friendly moong sprouts cutlet | healthy moong tikki | moong sprout cutlet Indian snack}

5. Moong Lowers Blood Pressure :

Lentils and beans are Antioxidants which are known to reduce blood pressure ⁽⁵⁾. Moong prevents oxidation of LDL, keeps the arteries clear and improves blood circulation. Being rich in Potassium, it lessens the impact of sodium to reduce blood pressure. Eat fruits and vegetables which are a good source of potassium. An aexample of restrcietd salt usage along with good amounts oif potassium is Chawli and Sprouted Moong Salad.

chawli and sprouted moong salad recipe | chawli vegetable salad with sprouts | healthy Indian cow peas salad with sprouts

6. Moong Good for Skin :

Zinc helps in building immunity, is good for skin ⁽⁶⁾, great Antioxidant and involved in energy metabolism and hormone production including testosterone in males and female sex hormones involved in releasing of egg from the ovaries. Try the famous Gujarati version of Sukha Moong. It pairs well with Chapati and Osaman. 

sukha moong recipe | Gujarati dry moong | healthy sukha mung | dry whole mung sabzi | One serving of sukha moong delivers 180% folic acid, 30% vitamin B1, 25% protein,  39% fibre, 18% Vitamin B2, 17% Zinc, 21%Magnesium,  ,  32% phosphorus of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

7. Mung Benefits for Healthy Eyes as rich in Zinc :

Zinc is essential to treat night blindness. Zinc helps in the activity of an enzyme in our body that helps produce Vitamin A, which is useful in treating night blindness ⁽⁷⁾.

You will surely love the colours and flavours of Moong Sprouts Tomato and Spinach Rice - a one dish meal which fulfills 11% of your day's requirement for zinc. 

Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice

8. Moong High in Fiber :

Moong or Whole Green Gram are high in Fibre and 1 cup of cooked Mug 43% of your daily Fibre requirements. Fibre results in your stomach feeling a lot fuller than refined carbs. 

moong soup recipe | whole green moong dal soup | healthy diabetic moong soup. One serving of moong soup  delivers 90% folic acid, 20% fibre, 13% protein, 9% zinc of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

9. Moong Rich in Magnesium :

One cup of cooked Moong has 23% of your daily Magnesium requirements. Magnesium helps in formation of bones and teeth and metabolism of calcium and potassium. You can got slightly more innovative in cooking and try moong in the form of chaat like we have done in the recipe of Moong Dahi Misal.

moong dahi misal recipe | healthy moong dahi chaat | dahi moong chaat | sprouted moong dahi chaat

10. Mung Benefits to Build our Bones :

Being rich in Phosphorus it works with Calcium to build our bones. In a study, it revealed that phosphorus intake is associated with positive bone parameters ⁽⁹⁾. 

mixed kathol sabzi recipe | Gujarati mixed pulses sabji | healthy mix kathol shaak.  One serving of mixed kathol sabzi delivers 56% folic acid, 30% vitamin B1, 26% protein, 26% fibre,  21% iron, 28% Magnesium, 14% Zinc, 30% phosphorus  of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

11. Moong Good for Cognitive Functioning :

Khatta Moong made with whole moong is rich in Manganese which is good for brain and nerve functioning. A healthy brain means a clear mind and that translates into good decisions ⁽¹⁰⁾.

khatta moong recipe | Gujarati khatta moong | khatta mag | dahiwala khatta moong | green moong in buttermilk curry

12. Moong Provides Energy :

Being rich in Vitamin B1, it extracts energy from our food and converts it into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the biochemical form in which our body stores and uses energy.

The best is to get rid of junk foods and try wholesome options like Khakhra with Sprouted Moong. 

khakhra with sprouted moong recipe | moong with khakhra | healthy Indian breakfast

13. Moong Fights Cancer Development :

Studies state that mung beans have anti-tumor activity and are able to protect DNA damage and dangerous cell mutation. High levels of oligosaccharides and polyphenols which are amino acids in mung beans are thought to be the main contributors to their antioxidant power that can fight cancer development. Flavonoids in mung beans have free radical scavenging activity, free radicals are involved in cancer development ⁽¹¹⁾.

bajra whole moong and green pea khichdi recipe | whole moong bajra and green pea khichdi | healthy green pea bajra and whole moong khichdi

Nutritional Information of Mung, Whole Green Gram, Whole Moong

One cup of cooked Moong is 150 grams and comes from 65 grams raw Moong.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
Nutritional Information for 1 cup cooked Moong.

217 Calories
15.6 grams of Protein
36.8 grams of Carbs
0.84 grams of Fat

275 mcg Folate, Vitamin B9 (FA) = 137%  of  RDA (about 200 mcg)

10.85 g of High Fiber = 43.4%  of  RDA (about 25 g)

211 mg of Phosphorus = 35.3%  of  RDA (about 600 mg for adult)

15.6 g of Protein = 28.4%  of  RDA ( about 55 g)

0.55 mg of Manganese = 27.5%  of  RDA (about 2 mg)

300 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 25.4%  of  RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)

82.5 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 23.5%  of  RDA (about 350 mg )

1.95 mg of Zinc = 19.5%  of  RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)

80.6 g of Calcium = 13.4%  of  RDA (about 600 mg)

2.86 g of Iron = 13.6%  of  RDA (about 21 mg)

547 mg of Potassium (K) = 11.6%  of  RDA (about 4,700 mg)