Lentils are storehouses of nutrition, especially fiber and protein, and are a staple of the vegetarian ayurvedic diet.

Lentils come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and textures, and are eaten whole or split or split and hulled.

According to the ayurvedic perspective, the small lentils offer substance and nourishment while not being unduly burdensome on the digestion. To increase their digestibility, cook them to butter-soft consistency and cook them with digestion-enhancing spices like cumin and coriander.

Of the Indian dhals, mung dhal--split, hulled mung beans--are revered highly by ayurvedic healers because they cook easily, are easy on the digestion and are tri-doshic. Recuperating individuals are traditionally fed kitcheree--a mushy porridge of Basmati rice and mung dhal--as nourishing food on the road back to a normal digestion.

Urad dhal and whole urad--black lentils--are rich and heaviest of the small lentils. They are nourishing in the winter months, because they have an unctuous texture and are a "heavy" food. They need pre-soaking to cook down well. Add balancing spices such as ginger and black pepper to increase digestibility, and eat small portions.

Masoor are red lentils, and again can be eaten whole or split and hulled as masoor dhal. These also cook with relative ease, but may require some pre-soaking. Toor dhal are split yellow lentils with a nutty flavor. These, when cooked, can be mashed into a puree to form a base for soups.

Channa dhal are split hulled black chick-peas. They have a nutty flavor, take longer to cook than most other dhals, and keep their shape even when fully cooked.

All of these dhals are readily available at Indian groceries or at some health food stores.

They need to be stored in airtight containers in a dry, cool place, and used within 90-120 days of purchase.

Sort through them before you wash them thoroughly to eliminate small stones or other debris.

Dhals combine well with vegetables, rice and wheat flatbreads.

A pressure cooker is very useful if you plan to eat dhals on a regular basis.

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