What are the health benefits of Chickpeas? We will review in detail about Chickpeas, because these nuts are now very popular in the world and even become an important food in some households. It’s from the Middle East, but now chickpeas become famous almost all over the world. Some countries that are popular with chickpeas are India, Israel, Spain and Africa.
This type of legume plant began to grow and be cultivated in the Middle East long before Christ, said healthifyme.com, that chickpeas have been around since the early 7500 years ago. Now it is an important ingredient in your kitchen. Usually, chickpeas are available in dried form and before eating, they need to be soaked and cooked first. But in modern life, chickpeas which are also known as garbanzo beans and ceci can also be enjoyed in various forms, either whole, which is processed into flour, ground, canned and even boiled.
The texture of chickpeas is a bit grainy and they are great as a accompaniment to many other foods. Not only delicious in terms of taste, but chickpeas are also rich in health benefits because it is rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins and others. Among the health benefits of chickpeas are reducing the risk of cancer, controlling weight, as well as being good for weight gain and good for digestion. Not enough yet, but chickpeas are an important vegetable as a source of vegetable protein that is necessary for the body.
Ok, below we see how the nutritional profile of chickpeas, hopefully with this information you will like this food more and include it in your daily diet.
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Chickpeas Nutritional Value
It is a vegetable with very good nutritional value. In a 28-gram serving, it contains only 46 cal, and one cup of chickpeas contains 270 cal. About 67% of that size is made up of carbohydrates, while the rest is made up of protein, and fat.
For one cup of chickpeas contains fiber as much as 40% of the daily fiber requirement, also contains about 70% folate, and 22% iron. Not only that the benefits of consuming chickpeas, but chickpeas are also vegetables with a low glycemic index. This means that consuming chickpeas does not cause a spike in blood sugar because the sugar content is produced slowly. This causes the body to digest sugar properly thereby preventing blood sugar spikes.
Below is the nutritional profile of chickpeas for 28 grams.
- Calories as much as 101
- Carbohydrates as much as 17 grams
- Fat as much as 1.5 grams
- Fiber as much as 7.9 grams, and
- Protein as much as 4.8 grams
Best Health Benefits of Chickpeas
After we know the nutritional profile of chickpeas, now we see what are the health benefits of chickpeas if consumed regularly.
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1. Good for bone health
Chickpeas are vegetables rich in nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus and other minerals that are great for supporting healthy bone health.
You can include chickpeas in your daily menu to prevent bone loss or osteoporosis.
2. Can lower blood glucose
Excess glucose in the blood can cause blood sugar or what is known as diabetes. Chickpeas are vegetables rich in fiber and are included in vegetables with a low glycemic index so consuming them is safe from spikes in blood sugar.
In this case, The American Diabetes Association recommends that we consume chickpeas to avoid diabetes. A 2014 study showed that consuming 30 grams of fiber per day can reduce inflammation in those with type 1 diabetes. Ideally, adults should consume 28 grams of fiber per day to keep the body healthy and away from excess glucose in the blood.
Meanwhile, a 2018 study showed that consuming foods rich in fiber was good for lowering blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Chickpeas are healthy foods, rich in fiber and good as a daily food to meet the supply of fiber that the body needs. So, from the fiber-rich side alone, the health benefits of chickpeas are enormous for human life.
3. Can reduce cholesterol
There is a study that shows the benefits of chickpeas for lowering cholesterol. In the study, participants who consumed chickpeas on a regular basis were reported to have lower LDL than those who did not eat them.
Experts say that the high fiber in chickpeas acts as an agent that reduces bad cholesterol.
4. Good for heart health
Another health benefit of chickpeas is maintaining and protecting your heart. Chickpeas are rich in various nutrients such as B vitamins, selenium, fiber, iron, and magnesium (this is an ingredient in the heart). Fiber whose role in lowering LDL serves also to better heart health. When LDL is low, then a person will avoid heart disease.
This strongly supports the role of fiber, because chickpeas themselves contain no cholesterol at all.
5. Prevent blood pressure
Chickpeas also contain potassium which is good for regulating blood flow so it does not cause pressure on the heart or does not cause high blood pressure. So, one of the roles of potassium is to lower high blood pressure.
Adults are recommended to consume as much as 4700 mg of potassium per day. Beans are a vegetable rich in potassium and if consumed regularly, it is good for meeting daily potassium needs. For a cup of chickpeas or 164 grams, contains potassium as much as 474 mg. So, consuming these foods is great for meeting the daily needs of potassium.
But if you do not consume organic chickpeas or use canned products as your food. So, pay close attention to the label, pay attention to the sodium levels, choose chickpeas with sodium levels below 2300, this is important to prevent heart disease, excess sodium can cause heart problems.
6. Can reduce cancer risk
This is a huge health benefit of chickpeas. If poison consumes chickpeas, then cancer cells will not come close to your life.
Cancer is caused by toxic substances or free radicals that enter the body through the air, drinks and unhealthy foods that we eat every day. Well, when this toxic substance accumulates in the body, it will increase day by day and cause cell damage, then various health problems occur, including cancer (damaged or abnormal cell growth). But chickpeas contain antioxidants called beta-carotene and selenium, both of which fight free radicals and toxins in the body.
Consuming chickpeas is very important to eliminate free radicals in the body. A cup of chickpeas contains 6.1 mcg of selenium. While our daily need for selenium is 55 mcg per day. Selenium is a powerful form of antioxidant that can protect the body from attack by toxins or free radicals.
7. Regulate ideal body weight
Beans are a great healthy food for those of you who want to lose weight or maintain your ideal weight. This is a fiber-rich vegetable that is supported by many other nutrients so it is very supportive for your weight management.
When consuming chickpeas, you will be full quickly and this will last a long time and make you not increase the portion of your meal. Extraordinary! Fiber also limits one’s appetite so that it can reduce excessive calorie consumption, this will have an effect on the stability of the ideal body weight.
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8. Can improve mental health
One cup of chickpeas contains 69.7 mg of choline. Choline is essential for nerve and brain health in keeping the brain functioning properly. It plays an important role in learning, mood, memory, muscle control and is good for the body’s metabolism.
Adults are advised to consume 400 to 550 mg of choline per day. This number depends on your circumstances, is influenced by your age, gender and whether you are breastfeeding. For more detailed information, contact your doctor.
In addition, the selenium present in chickpeas is also reported to be beneficial for memory. In fact there is a study that analyzes cognitive decline in adults, it turns out that this is caused by a decrease in selenium in their diet.
9. As a source of iron
Iron is an important mineral for the body, the benefits of iron are sufficient red blood cells so that there are no obstacles in circulating food juices to all parts of the body and circulating oxygen throughout the body including the brain. If a person lacks iron, then he will feel weakness and lethargy and not enthusiastic about activities.
For good iron absorption, you can combine iron-rich foods with vitamin C.
10. Improve digestive health
The digestive system is an organ that is no less important, if digestion is not good then everything else is definitely not good. In fact, nutrients that enter the body cannot be absorbed properly if the digestive system is disturbed.
Chickpeas are a source of high fiber, so by consuming chickpeas regularly, digestion will be healthy and waste in the intestines will be easily moved and excreted as feces.
The Best Way to Consume Chickpeas
You can consume chickpeas in any way you like, but there are best ways to practice. You can consume chickpeas by including them in the following recipes.
Below are some popular recipes that you can try in consuming chickpeas.
Hummus- Middle Eastern Dip [First recipe]
Ingredients:
- 60 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup of cooked chickpeas
- 60 ml of tahini
- 30 ml of olive oil
- 1 minced clove of garlic
- teaspoon of ground cumin
- 45 ml of water
- salt to taste
- paprika for garnishing
How to Make:
- Blend chickpeas, cumin, lemon juice, tahini, salt and garlic together in your blender. Make sure all the ingredients can be mixed evenly and smooth with a soft texture.
- Then slowly add the olive oil, and mix.
- Add as much water as you like, and mix thoroughly.
- Addition of water depending on the level of thickness, do not exceed 45 ml.
- When well combined, remove in a large or wide bowl, garnish the hummus with paprika or cumin and olive oil.
Chickpea Salad [Second recipe]
Ingredients:
- cup of Chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup of boiled chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- tsp salt
- cup of cubed cucumber
- sliced onions
- 1 cup of boiled chickpeas
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- cup of chopped coriander leaves
How to Make:
- Take a slightly deep bowl, mix all the ingredients (vegetables) and chickpeas.
- In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice, pepper, salt, and olive oil.
- Pour this mixture over the chopped vegetables, and garnish with cilantro.
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Chickpeas And Weight Loss
Chickpeas are the best vegetables for those of you who want to lose weight naturally. When compared to the amount of nutrients, chickpeas are very low in calories. So, it is very easy to lose weight, especially if you consume it with regular exercise.
The high protein and fiber in chickpeas promote weight loss by regularly burning body fat.
The Bottom Line
Chickpeas are a type of legume that are increasingly important in modern life. This is a food that can provide the right supply of nutrients in the body so that the health benefits of chickpeas are also very large for our lives, especially in this modern life. Even chickpeas are an important food in today’s world.
It is an excellent ingredient in our daily diet, it tastes like butter and is slightly spicy. As a nutrient rich vegetable, chickpeas are very important for our health, it plays a role in promoting health and preventing various dangerous diseases. We advise you to include chickpeas in your daily diet. For optimal health benefits of chickpeas, consume them regularly.
