Chickpeas have been grown in Middle Eastern countries for thousands of years. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and many other nutrients. Their nutritional benefits include helping digestion because of their high fiber content. Today we'll learn about Benefits of chickpeas and their calories and how to include them in our diet in a healthy way.
Nutritional values of chickpeas
100 grams of chickpeas contain 180 calories, and more than half of those calories come from carbohydrates, and the rest is Protein And fat, and it provides a variety of nutritional values. For example, one cup of cooked chickpeas contains:
- 269 calories.
- 4 grams of fat.
- 45 grams of carbohydrates.
- 12.5 grams of fiber.
- 74% of your daily calorie needs.
- 71% of your daily folic acid needs.
- 64% of your daily copper needs.
- 26% of your daily iron needs.
- 23% of your daily zinc needs.
- 22% of your phosphorus needs.
- 19% of your magnesium needs.
- 16% of your thiamine needs.
- 13% of your vitamin B6 needs.
- 11% of your daily selenium needs.
- 10% of your daily potassium need.
As you see, all these vitamins and minerals come from a cup of chickpeas you can add to your meals regularly.
Health benefits of chickpeas
Chickpeas have a positive effect on your body because they have lots of vitamins. I'll explain this effect in the next lines:
First benefit: It makes you feel full
Protein andfiber found in chickpeas help control your appetite a lot, and the mix of protein and fiber in chickpeas slows down Process Digestion, which helps you feel full for a longer time. Also, eating protein makes you consume fewer calories in a day.
Second benefit: Rich in plant protein
Chickpeas are an important source of plant protein, making it a great food for those who don’t eat animal protein like meat and chicken. One cup of cooked chickpeas provides 14.5 grams of protein, and this amount is also found in black beans and lentils, which has a good effect on bone health and reduces inflammation they might cause Trans fats found in meats.
Chickpeas are one of the best legumes that contain protein because it has all the amino acids except methionine, so it’s useful during muscle building and body sculpting.
Benefit three: It helps you keep your ideal weight
As mentioned before, it makes you feel full for a long time. Because of that, people who regularly eat chickpeas have a 53% lower body fat under 30. Also, they feel less frustrated because chickpeas reduce fat in their diet. Legumes overall help a lot with weight loss.
Benefit four: It helps regulate blood sugar levels
Chickpeas have a relatively low glycemic index. Many studies show that blood sugar levels stabilize after eating foods with a low glycemic index. glycemic Besides that, fiber helps slow down how fast the body absorbs carbs, so it controls blood sugar.
One study showed that eating 200 grams of chickpeas reduces your craving for sugars By 36% compared to eating two slices of white bread.
Fifth benefit: Its benefits for digestion
Fiber The fiber found in chickpeas is soluble, so it turns into a gel-like substance in the stomach. It helps boost good bacteria in the digestive system, which reduces the chance of digestive diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer, and makes bowel movements easier.
Sixth benefit: Protects against some chronic diseases
Eating chickpeas regularly helps prevent the risk of several chronic diseases such as:
- Heart diseases : yChickpeas are a great source of many minerals like magnesium and potassium that support heart health by lowering the risk of high blood pressure, also they reduce triglycerides and bad cholesterol in the body.
- cancer Research shows that eating more chickpeas lowers the risk of some types of cancer, like most legumes because they reduce inflammation colon that lasts long, also chickpeas have saponins that can stop tumor growth in some cases.
Seventh benefit: prevents iron deficiency
Chickpeas are a good source of iron, they help produce red blood cells, support physical growth and brain development, and improve metabolism, and many other health aspects. If you often feel tired and weak, eating chickpeas might help because you probably have a nutrient deficiency.
Eighth benefit: cheap and easy to add to your diet
There are many types of chickpeas, fresh, dried, or canned, and they are available in all markets. They contain a high amount of protein,It's very versatile and we'll suggest some recipes for it in the next lines, but in general you can use it as a substitute for cheese, add it to salads, roast it, mix it with vegetables, and in burger sandwiches.
Chickpea and Feta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- Juice of half a lemon
- One teaspoon of cumin
- One small red pepper
- 400 grams of washed and drained chickpeas.
- Half a chopped red onion
- A quarter cup of cucumber cubes.
- Small tomato pieces.
- 50 grams of crumbled feta cheese.
Preparation method
Mix lemon juice, a spoon of oil, cumin seeds, and chili pepper with some spices. Mash the chickpeas well, then add tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Let them mix together for half an hour. Before serving, add cheese and some herbs like fresh mint.
