Is Dal / lentils / pulses safe during pregnancy?

Vegetables Also called Masoor dal (Hindi); Mosur dal (Bengali); Khesari paruppu (Tamil); Lanka pappu (Telugu); lank dal (Marathi); Vattu parippu (Malayalam); Laki Bele (Kannada); Masoor ni daad (Gujarati); Masur dal (Hindi); Mosur (Bengali); Mysore paruppu (Tamil); Misur pappu (Telugu); Masur parippu (Malayalam); Masur bele (Kannada); Masoor (Kathai) (Gujarati).

Part of the pregnancy diet

ICMR-NIN lists dal and other pulses in its pregnancy food groups and names legumes as folate sources; the NHS lists pulses as a protein source.[1,2,3,4]

What official sources say

ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024

  • Its pregnancy food groups list yellow dal, kidney beans, cowpea, green gram and chickpea. (p. 16)[1]
  • Green leafy vegetables, legumes and nuts are good sources of folic acid. (p. 17)[1]
  • Green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts and liver are good sources of folate. (p. 19)[1]

FSANZ: Pregnancy and healthy eating

  • Dried beans, lentils and other legumes contain folate, potassium, iron and magnesium.[2]

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Sources of protein include: Pulses are listed as a source of protein.[3]

US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy

  • A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas) and nuts, seeds, and soy products (general-population advice, not specific to pregnancy)[4]

Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)

Energy352 kcal
Protein24.63 g
Fibre10.7 g
Sugars2.03 g
Iron6.51 mg
Calcium35 mg
Folate (DFE)479 µg
Folate, total479 µg
Vitamin A (RAE)2 µg
Vitamin C4.5 mg
Vitamin D0 µg
Vitamin B120 µg
Choline96.4 mg
DHA (omega-3)0 g
EPA (omega-3)0 g
Caffeine0 mg
Sodium6 mg

USDA FoodData Central: Lentils, raw (FDC ID 172420), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.

Sources

  1. ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed pages 16, 17, 19. Paraphrased and cited by printed page; the text is not reproduced.
  2. FSANZ: Pregnancy and healthy eating · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  3. NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  4. US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.