13 Health Benefits of Mung, Moong, Whole Green Gram, Whole Moong

Moong/Mung or green gram are small, round, olive-green colored legumes with a sweet flavor. They are one of the healthiest sources of plant protein and are found in different forms like whole, split, de-husked (yellow) and ground. It is a native to Asia and the US, and are extremely versatile. The mild, earthy flavor of the green moong can be enhanced using a myriad of ingredients to cook delicacies like dal, khichdi, dosa, handvo, chilla, fritters etc.

1. Good for Red Blood Cells, Pregnant Women :

Mung is rich in Folate, Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. It is particularly important for pregnant women to have enough folate. They must start having folate rich foods even while they are planning to conceive. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy can cause neural tube defects in the growing baby. Optimum folate levels need to be maintained before and during pregnancy ⁽¹⁾.

2. Mung Benefits for Heart :

Being rich in Antioxidants like Flavonoids, mung reduces the damage done by free radicals to the blood vessels and lowers inflammation. They help in the free flow of blood. It works with B vitamins to maintain normal heart rate. Being rich in magnesium which is associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease especially for women ⁽²⁾. Mung beans have hypocholesterolemic activity mediated by enhancing bile acid excretion from the body ⁽³⁾.

3. Excellent source of Protein for Vegetarians :

One cup of moong provides 28% of your protein for the day. Protein are critical for a variety of tasks, right from the formation of new cells, strong bones, haemoglobin, to managing the wear-and-tear of body cells. Combine mung beans with cereals to increase the quality of protein.

4. Mung Benefits in Weight Loss :

As Moong is low in fat and high in protein and fibre, eating mung beans will keep you fuller for a longer time and prevent you from binge eating. A study suggests that mung bean proteins can improve glucose and lipid metabolism and prevent fat accumulation ⁽⁴⁾

5. Lowers Blood Pressure :

Lentils and beans are Antioxidants which are known to reduce blood pressure ⁽⁵⁾. Moong prevents oxidation of LDL, keeps the arteries clear and improves blood circulation. Being rich in Potassium, it lessens the impact of sodium to reduce blood pressure. Eat fruits and vegetables which are a good source of potassium.

6. Good for Skin :

Zinc helps in building immunity, is good for skin ⁽⁶⁾, great Antioxidant and involved in energy metabolism and hormone production including testosterone in males and female sex hormones involved in releasing of egg from the ovaries.

7. Mung Benefits for Healthy Eyes :

Zinc is essential to treat night blindness. Zinc helps in the activity of an enzyme in our body that helps produce Vitamin A, which is useful in treating night blindness ⁽⁷⁾.

8. High Fiber :

Moong or Whole Green Gram are high in Fibre and 1 cup of cooked Mug 43% of your daily Fibre requirements. Fibre results in your stomach feeling a lot fuller than refined carbs. When you feel full, it will prevent you from eating the wrong foods. Imagine eating a candy and you just want to have more and more of it. That’s because there is only sugar in it and no fibre. So pick foods with high fibre.

9. Rich in Magnesium :

One cup of cooked Moong has 23% of your daily Magnesium requirements. Magnesium helps in formation of bones and teeth and metabolism of calcium and potassium. Improves insulin response by lowering insulin resistance. Having very low magnesium will result in the pancreas not secrete enough insulin to control our blood glucose ⁽⁸⁾.

10. Mung Benefits to Build our Bones :

Being rich in Phosphorus it works with Calcium to build our bones. In a study, it revealed that phosphorus intake is associated with positive bone parameters ⁽⁹⁾.

11. Good for Cognitive Functioning :

Moong is rich in Manganese which is good for brain and nerve functioning. A healthy brain means a clear mind and that translates into good decisions ⁽¹⁰⁾.

12. Provides Energy :

Being rich in Vitamin B1, it extracts energy from our food and converts it into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the biochemical form in which our body stores and uses energy.

13. Fights Cancer Development :

Studies state that mung beans have anti-tumor activity and are able to protect DNA damage and dangerous cell mutation. High levels of oligosaccharides and polyphenols which are amino acids in mung beans are thought to be the main contributors to their antioxidant power that can fight cancer development. Flavonoids in mung beans have free radical scavenging activity, free radicals are involved in cancer development ⁽¹¹⁾.

Nutritional Information of Mung, Whole Green Gram, Whole Moong

One cup of cooked Moong is 150 grams and comes from 65 grams raw Moong.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
Nutritional Information for 1 cup cooked Moong.

217 Calories
15.6 grams of Protein
36.8 grams of Carbs
0.84 grams of Fat

275 mcg Folate, Vitamin B9 (FA) = 137%  of  RDA (about 200 mcg)

10.85 g of High Fiber = 43.4%  of  RDA (about 25 g)

211 mg of Phosphorus = 35.3%  of  RDA (about 600 mg for adult)

15.6 g of Protein = 28.4%  of  RDA ( about 55 g)

0.55 mg of Manganese = 27.5%  of  RDA (about 2 mg)

300 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 25.4%  of  RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)

82.5 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 23.5%  of  RDA (about 350 mg )

1.95 mg of Zinc = 19.5%  of  RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)

80.6 g of Calcium = 13.4%  of  RDA (about 600 mg)

2.86 g of Iron = 13.6%  of  RDA (about 21 mg)

547 mg of Potassium (K) = 11.6%  of  RDA (about 4,700 mg)