Find out why you should eat more chickpeas and chickpea products
If you love chickpeas, then we have some good news for you: these small, versatile legumes turn out to be extremely healthy. They contain a lot of nutrients and have certain health benefits that make it tempting to add them to all your dishes. And the best part? There are a million ways in which you can eat chickpeas. So, chances are that you will be able to easily incorporate this snack into your diet.
Chickpeas
Mascha Davis, owner of Nomadista Nutrition, told Real Simple exactly how she feels about garbanzo beans, or chickpeas. She said: “Chickpeas are amazing. They are a really good source of plant protein, fiber, and different vitamins and minerals.” And they are a really easy and versatile addition to your meals. You can roast them and use them as a snack or in your salad, your can add them to pastas or soups and you can turn them into a delicious hummus snack. Chickpea products are also available in grocery stores and even though they fall into the category ‘processed foods’, if you make sure you buy products low in salt and other additives, chickpea products can still be a pretty healthy option.
Nutrients
So, what makes chickpeas healthy? According to Real Simple, they contain a lot of protein. If you eat an ounce of chickpeas, you will have upped your protein intake with three grams. And they’re very high in fiber too. That same ounce of chickpeas contains two grams of fiber. But it doesn’t end there; chickpeas are high in iron and vitamin C which means that chickpeas can not only help with your iron intake, it also helps with the absorption of said iron. Other benefits of the legumes are: they contain essential vitamins and nutrients like magnesium, potassium and selenium. They don’t cause your blood sugar to raise as much as other foods will, which makes them a good snack for controlling your blood sugar. And last, but definitely not least, chickpeas might possibly help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
So, if you weren’t eating chickpeas already, you might want to start now!
Read more: Is popcorn considered to be a healthy snack?
Source: Real Simple | Image: Unsplash, Markus Winkler