How lentils help you and the planet
© ELENA SCHWEITZER - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Easy to grow, healthy to eat, and shelf-stable for years, lentils have been a dietary staple for more than 13,000 years. That’s because the legumes are packed with nutrients—just one cup of raw lentils contains nearly double the protein of a three-ounce sirloin steak. They’re healthy for the planet, too: Lentils have a low environmental impact, making them a climate-friendly crop.
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6.5 million tons
Total amount of lentils grown annually worldwide.
Roughly half are cultivated in North America, while India is the world’s largest consumer.
Wonder crop
Lentils are pulses, a legume that grows in pods containing seeds. Lentils and other pulses pull nitrogen from the air and deposit it into the ground, reducing the need for emissions-driving fertilizers while enriching the soil for the next crop.
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30 percent
more carbon is stored in the soil from lentils than most plants.
A versatile, drought-resistant crop, lentils thrive in arid or semiarid climates. They typically don’t require irrigation to grow, so they have a lower water footprint and are less resource-intensive than many other protein-rich foods, such as soy, chicken, or beef.
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9 grams of protein =
One half-cup cooked serving of lentils
A 2020 study funded by Lentils.org and Pulse Canada found that by making burgers with one-third parts cooked lentils instead of beef, the US (which eats around 10 billion burgers yearly) could reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 11 million tons of CO2—the same as keeping 2.38 million cars off the road.
The more you know
WWF is a member of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, an initiative that empowers brands, retailers, agriculture businesses, and farmers to manage the environmental impact of commodity crops such as lentils. The alliance helps partners assess how they use land, water, and energy and identify opportunities for improvement, driving more sustainable food production.
© Andy Rouse / naturepl.com / WWF
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