● Food Intelligence · Legumes
Across 1,284 single-item lentil logs, Signos members averaged a +35.9 mg/dL glucose peak — higher than the lab GI of 29 would predict. Pair lentils with eggs and the peak drops to +27.6 mg/dL; serve them as lentil soup and it climbs to +39 mg/dL. Carb load is the dominant lever: crossing 60g of total carbs pushes the average up 35%.
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Yes — but modestly. Across 1,284 logged meals where members ate lentils alone, the average glucose peak was +35.9 mg/dL, with 54.0% of responses exceeding +30 mg/dL. In our single-item cohort of 1,284 lentil logs, the median peak was +33 mg/dL and the IQR ran from +20 to +48 mg/dL — a wide spread that reflects the diversity of how lentils are prepared and consumed. Three levers dominate the outcome: total carb load at the meal (a ≥60g-carb meal pushes peaks 35% higher than lighter builds), protein pairing (eggs cut peaks to +27.6 mg/dL vs. a no-protein baseline of +37.4 mg/dL), and meal timing (morning lentil logs averaged +29.2 mg/dL vs. +35.8 mg/dL at lunch). Despite a very-low published GI of 29, the real-world cohort average runs higher — a reminder that GI is measured in isolation, not in the context of a full meal. These are observational findings, not causal.
Some members spike +27.6 mg/dL. Others spike +48.4. The only way to know how you'll spike is to measure with a Signos CGM.
Lentils carry a very-low published GI of 29, driven by their high resistant-starch content, soluble fiber, and protein — all of which slow starch hydrolysis and gastric emptying. Yet across 1,284 logged meals where lentils were eaten alone, the average peak hit +35.9 mg/dL. The gap between lab and cohort reflects real-world context: full meals carry more total carbs than a controlled GI trial, and the protein-and-fiber buffer is only as strong as what else is on the plate. The two strongest levers measured are protein pairing (eggs cut peaks by −10 mg/dL vs. no protein, n=950) and total carb load (≥60g meals spike 34.9% higher, p<0.001, n=4,121). Meal timing adds a third: morning lentil meals averaged −22% vs. afternoon baseline, consistent with diurnal insulin sensitivity. These are observational patterns, not causal claims.
This page draws on Signos production CGM data logged between March 2025 and April 2026, covering 12,636 meals containing lentils across 4,144 unique members (broader cohort), with a single-item sub-cohort of 1,284 meals (790 unique members) where lentils were logged without other foods. Statistical comparisons use Welch's t-test on matched pairs; all modifier effects cited carry p<0.001 unless noted. Cohort filtering restricts to meals with a measured glucose rise between 0 and 100 mg/dL (ppgr_case='regular'). We report mean peak glucose rise across a right-skewed distribution; the single-item median is +33 mg/dL vs. a mean of +35.9 mg/dL. Lentil meals were identified via regex matching on logged food names (pattern: \blentil[s]?\b). A minimum of 30 matched meals is required for any modifier slot to appear in the recipe builder.