Researchers have found that lentils reduce the spike in blood sugar following a meal.
Dan Ramdath of the Guelph Food Research Centre says that's really important for someone with impaired glucose tolerance, such as a person at risk for diabetes or someone affected by the disease.
Scientists at the Centre and at the University of Guelph say including lentils in a person's diet could reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Now they're studying whether replacing half a serving of white rice or potatoes with lentils will significantly reduce blood sugar levels.
Lentils are a type of legume
Green and red lentils are commonly available in Canadian supermarkets.
Canada is the world's largest producer of lentils for the export market, but domestic consumption is low.