Navigating the world of healthy eating can be an exciting adventure, especially when exploring foods alphabetically. This article dives into a variety of healthy foods that start with the letter "L," offering a diverse range of options to incorporate into your diet. From fruits and vegetables to legumes and more, we'll explore their nutritional benefits and culinary uses.
Fruits Starting with L
Lemons
Lemons are arguably one of the most popular citrus fruits, though rarely eaten by themselves due to their sourness. These evergreen trees, native to Asia, produce fruits whose pulp, rind, and juice are widely used in cooking and beverages. Lemons are a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants, boosting immunity and adding flavor to dishes and salads. A refreshing twist on the fruit can be found in lemonade, a cool drink made by adding water and sugar to lemons. Many variations exist, including strawberry, peach, and even carrot lemonade.
Limes
Similar in size and shape to lemons, limes are green when fully ripe. Like lemons, they possess a sour and bitter taste that makes them unpalatable on their own. They are rich in vitamin C and are sour in taste. There are several varieties including Key Lime and Persian Lime. Limeade, similar to lemonade, is made from limes, offering a tangy alternative.
Lychee
Lychee fruit is one of a kind in both taste and appearance. With a red exterior and a juicy white pulp, this fruit is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and is good for liver health. The fruit has a pink shell, which is spikey in texture. The flesh inside is smooth and white in colour.
Loganberry
Loganberries are shaped almost exactly like blackberries but are red in colour. They have a tart-like taste with the flavour of raspberries and blackberries.
Read also: Scrumptious and Salubrious Foods
Longan
The longan is related to the lychee, and when peeled, the two fruits look a lot alike. The visibility of the seed is what gives longan, which translates to ‘dragon’s eye,’ its name. When peeled, the fruit resembles a large eye.
Lovi-Lovi Fruit
Also called lobi-lobi, the lovi-lovi fruit is also known as the batoko plum and can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit is crunchy and has a sour taste.
Lucuma Fruit
Lucuma fruit is an edible fruit. They are bright yellow in colour and have a unique flavor which is very sweet.
Lemonade Berry
The lemonade berry is native to Southern California. This fruit is rich in antioxidants, and tastes a bit like grapefruit or lime.
Limequat
The limequat is a hybrid fruit of a Key lime crossed with a kumquat.
Read also: Comprehensive List of "F" Foods
Vegetables Starting with L
Lettuce
Lettuce, a leafy green vegetable, is mostly eaten raw and is an important ingredient for salads and sandwiches. It’s said that lettuce is rich in vitamin C & K, and is good for bone strength. This popular leaf is perfect for salads, and sandwiches. It is rich in vitamins A and K and there are lots of varieties. Iceberg lettuce lost much of its popularity several years ago when people realized it didn’t have a lot of nutritional value. Lollo Rossa is a dark red variety of lettuce. Lamb’s lettuce, is also called cornsalad, and is part of the honeysuckle family.
Leeks
Leeks are related to the onion, scallion, shallot, and garlic plants.
Lentils
From every Indian household to even restaurants, this is a common staple food that one can find across the world. Lentils are loaded with protein and fibre, and are known to provide the much-required nutrition. Like beans and peas, lentils are members of the legume family. They’re similar to peas and beans, but they’re a little different from both. There are all different colors of lentils - black, green, red, orange, yellow, and brown. You can also boil them and eat them that way.
Lady's Finger (Okra)
Also known as Okra or Bhindi, Lady's Finger is a popular vegetable that people enjoy a lot in Asian countries. One can saute or fry them, and even eat them with Roti. It contains vitamin K, folate and iron and is very beneficial for the body.
Lotus Root
The edible root of the lotus flower is consumed in Asian cuisine.
Read also: A Guide to Q Foods
Luffa
Luffa can also be spelt loofah. This fruit is from Southern China, and is related to the gourd (pumpkin) family. One species’ name is L.
Lima Beans
Sometimes referred to as “butter beans,” lima beans are part of the legume family. Lima beans are a good source of both dietary fiber and protein.
Laver
Laver is an edible seaweed, which is consumed mainly in Wales.
Other Healthy Foods Starting with L
Legumes
“Legumes” is just a fancy word for the seeds of plants in the fabaceae family. In other words, peas, beans, peanuts, and lentils. It's a fancy word used for beans, lentils and even peanuts. They are rich in antioxidants and protein and are known to lower blood sugar and heart rate. If you dry out a legume it turns into a pulse. Pulse cultivation dates back to 3300 BCE!
Licorice
It's a herb, whose roots are often used for flavouring dishes with a sweet taste and adding an aroma to them. From treating digestive issues to respiratory problems, and reducing inflammation, licorice is also used to make candies. Many people think that licorice is a slightly bitter type of candy, and it is.
Lingonberry
Lamb
Lamb has a unique flavor that’s unlike most other meats. It’s not gamey, exactly, but more natural and rich. The flavor is robust and can be made even more so with the right seasonings and flavorings. Lamb meat is popular, especially in a British roast dinner. It is more expensive than mutton and has a milder taste.
Liver
There are all kinds of edible liver, including chicken liver, duck liver, beef liver, and pork liver. Many people fry liver, while others saute it with onions. Some people bread it; some don’t. Unlike chicken, which most people like, or beets, which most people dislike, liver has nearly equal numbers of lovers and haters. The liver of an animal, fowl, or fish have been eaten by humans for centuries and is also called offal.
Lobster
Lobsters are sea-dwelling members of the crustacean family. Also called scampi, the langoustine is a slim lobster and it can grow up to 10 inches in length.
Lemon Sole
Native to the seas of Northern Europe the lemon sole is a popular consumable fish.
Lox
Lox is a type of brined salmon created when people were first trying to figure out how to store fish before the days of refrigerators.
Dishes Starting with L
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is, unsurprisingly, soup made from lentils.
Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass chicken is a popular dish in Vietnamese cuisine.
Latkes
‘Latkes’ is one of the many aliases for potato pancakes.
Lasagna
However, the pasta used to make lasagna is also called lasagna. It is commonly made with minced beef in tomato sauce and white bechamel sauce.
Lahmacun
In appearance, lahmacun looks a bit like a messy pizza, but the two foods are nothing alike in terms of flavor. The dish includes minced meat and vegetables atop a thin, round piece of dough.
Lahana Sarmasi
Lahana sarmasi is just a really fancy name for a cabbage roll.
Lutefisk
Lutefisk is one very peculiar-looking food. The cod is soaked, skinned, boned, and boiled.
Linguica
If you enjoy spicy sausage, you should get familiar with linguica.
Linguini
The literal translation of the word ‘linguini’ is ‘little tongues,’ which isn’t a super appetizing mental image. It’s a long, ribbon-like pasta that’s halfway between fettuccine and spaghetti.
Limpa
Limpa is a dark brown Swedish bread.
Lavash
Lavash is a thin, leavened flatbread made in Armenia.
Lattes
Lattes are one of American’s favorite morning beverages. This is a popular coffee drink that is made of espresso and frothed milk.
Other "L" Foods
Ladyfingers
Ladyfingers are crispy, egg-based cookies with a mild, only slightly sweet taste. Lady fingers are made from a hard sponge and topped with granulated sugar.
Lekvar
Lekvar is delicious. People most often use it as pastry fillings, and because it only requires three ingredients to make, it’s an easy way to create genuinely homemade pies.
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are honey-sweetened and sometimes lightly spiced cookies.
Lentil Chips
Lentil chips are fried snacks made from lentils, similar to tortilla chips.