Men's Health

Lentils

WHY? Until I visited the home of the lentil, Le Puy-en-Velay in the south of France, I thought beards and BO were the two main prerequisites for lentil consumption. Now I know differently. Chowing down a can of lentils gives you more than the Heart Foundation’s suggested minimum RDI of soluble fibre.

HOW? Drain a tin of lentils, add some diced lamb without the fat (left-over roast is perfect), mix in a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a diced tomato and some red onion, lettuce or rocket and watch your cholesterol plummet.

ALTERNATIVES: being full of beans is another way of absorbing soluble fibres, so stock up on cans of kidney beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, baked beans (in low-sodium sauce) and four-bean mix.

Related link: Making sense of your cholesterol

Photo by Shutterstock May 2, 2012