Dried Lentils

Lentils are grown for their seeds, harvested mature, and cleaned for storage or further processing. Dry seeds travel easily to food plants. Kibble makers may mill them before extrusion cooks the recipe.^1,5,8

1. 01 // Source Mature lentils Farmers harvest the mature seeds from pods for cleaning and grading.
2. 02 // Process Cleaned and graded Processors remove field debris and sort seeds before packaging or further processing.
3. 03 // Process Dried and milled Seeds are kept dry for storage and may be ground into flour for kibble production.
4. 04 // Output Dried lentils Whole dry seeds or lentil flour reach the kibble plant, where the recipe is cooked by extrusion.

1. 01

   Supplies grain-free starch

   Lentils provide starch for a grain-free kibble recipe. In an 8-dog trial, dogs digested about 98% of the starch in the lentil-based diet.^1,5

2. 02

   Raises plant protein

   Lentil seeds average about 27% protein on a dry basis. That protein contributes to the food's crude protein figure, though the figure does not show amino acid balance.^5,7

3. 03

   Combines two recipe jobs

   The same storable crop supplies starch and protein. Researchers note that high-protein pulses can reduce the need for costlier animal protein in a formulation.^1,5,8

How much Trials fed about 42% lentil flour for 28 days and 45% green lentils for 90 days; neither gives a usual commercial amount.^2,3

1. Brands say

   Lentils supply digestible starch and plant protein

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dried seeds average 45.7% starch and 26.9% protein. In an 8-dog, 7-day crossover trial the whole diet, which also held 21.49% chicken by-product meal and 5% fish meal, digested 97.72% of its starch and 81.49% of its protein. Those are diet-level numbers, not lentils alone.^1,5

2. Brands say

   Lentils give dogs slow-release energy

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   An 8-dog crossover trial found a lower peak blood glucose after the lentil diet than after the rice diet, 4.4 versus 5.0 mmol/L. It measured a meal response, not a lasting benefit for healthy dogs.¹

3. Owners say

   Lentils cause canine heart disease

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   FDA reports frequently named foods containing peas or lentils, but reports cannot identify a cause. An 8-dog trial found no DCM-like changes after 28 days on its lentil diet. Longer-term risk remains unresolved.^3,4,6

4. Brands say

   Lentil protein replaces meat without tradeoffs

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Lentil seeds run low in methionine relative to their total protein. A 12-beagle, 90-day trial's 45% green lentil diet still held poultry byproduct meal, cut to 19.15% from 33.50%, and a separate 28-day lentil diet showed lower methionine digestibility than its rice comparison.^2,3,5