Health Benefits of Lentils and Goat Cheese

Lentils: Lentils are packed with vitamins and nutrients that can improve your health. They have a lot of dietary fiber, which helps reduce your cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of heart disease, and helps keep your blood sugar stable. They also have folate and magnesium, which boost heart health. Lentils are also fairly low in calories — 26 percent of those calories come from protein, making lentils an excellent source of protein for vegetarians. That's important to know because protein helps distribute oxygen throughout your body, giving you more energy and optimizing your metabolism.

Goat Cheese: Goat cheese has a unique flavor and is a great cheese for those with dairy sensitivity. Many people find goat cheese easier to digest than cheese made from cow's milk because it's naturally lower in lactose. Not only that, but since goat cheese has a unique fatty acid profile, many people find it helps keep them fuller longer than other cheeses. Goat cheese also contains selenium, magnesium, and niacin, along with probiotics. Probiotics improve digestive health, reduce inflammation, and help your immune system function properly.

Variations

The goat cheese flavor isn't for everyone. If you are not a fan of goat cheese, you can modify this salad recipe by substituting gorgonzola cheese, which pairs well with dried cranberries if you want to vary your salad texture. If you like a little more spicy-sweet flavor, red onions can pack a punch with a dash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. The corn nuts add a good crunch — you can get store-bought corn nuts, but you can make them yourself. If you're not up to the task or you don't like corn nuts, you can toss in toasted walnuts instead.