I Switched to Moong Beans for a Week — Here’s What Surprised Me Most

I’ll admit it: I never thought something as basic as a little green bean could make me feel this much better. But after seeing a few wellness influencers rave about moong beans (also called mung beans), I figured, why not try it for a week and see what happens?

I started with simple recipes—sprouted moong in my salads, a warm bowl of moong dal at night, and even tried moong pancakes one morning. Within a few days, I noticed I wasn’t feeling that usual mid-afternoon sluggishness. My digestion felt smoother. And I didn’t feel heavy or bloated after meals, which honestly blew my mind because I’ve struggled with that for years.

Curious about what was really going on, I dug a little deeper. Turns out, moong has been used in Ayurveda for centuries for exactly these reasons. It’s light, easy on the gut, and helps balance the body’s energy. One article that really broke it down well for me was this one from Ask Ayurveda: https://ask-ayurveda.com/articles/1280-what-is-moong-and-why-it-matters-in-nutrition-and-ayurveda — it explains why moong is considered tridoshic, meaning it balances all three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). That’s rare for a food!

What surprised me most, though, was how many people are already using moong in really creative ways. On Instagram, I saw this cool tip about using moong sprouts to boost recovery after workouts: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMfgTimoJmo/ — super helpful if you’re into fitness or just want more energy. Over on Pinterest, I found a whole board full of gorgeous moong-based meals that looked both simple and delicious: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/895934919625818227

As I kept exploring, I noticed moong coming up again and again in health circles. On Threads, someone talked about how moong helped them feel more emotionally balanced during stressful times: https://www.threads.com/@askayurveda_24/post/DMfgTTTIzSx — and I could totally relate. Food really does affect your mood more than we realize.

Then I saw a post on Facebook from someone who started eating moong to help with bloating and gut issues, and they were already feeling better in a week: https://www.facebook.com/885804900366149/posts/1065116835768287 — that’s exactly the kind of real talk I needed to hear when I started.

There’s also this tweet that stuck with me: “If your digestion is strong, your life is strong.” Simple but powerful. It came from here: https://x.com/1857364984759541760/status/1948375144486830371 and I feel like I get it now.

And for those who are more into the science side of things, I found this LinkedIn post that dives into moong’s nutritional value and why it’s more than just another protein source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ask-ayurveda_moong-beans-offer-more-than-proteinthey-activity-7354140917013860352-tJbI? — it’s impressive how something so ancient still checks all the boxes today.

After my little experiment, I’ve decided to keep moong in my rotation. It’s grounding, it’s clean, and it works. Sometimes the simplest foods really are the most powerful.