Pizzas and burgers rule every child’s menu for long. The recent popularity of ‘Hummus’, the yummy Middle-Eastern dip and spread – made from chickpeas – has brought the spotlight back on the goodness of chickpeas.
Back in school, our teacher kept stressing on how chickpeas were one of the most nutritious members of the legumes family. It didn’t take long for me to realise the importance of chickpeas in our daily diet.
Chickpeas originated in the Middle East nearly 7,000 years ago. They are often used in vegetables, salads, sauces, bread, hummus, tahini and garlic spreads. This fiber-rich legume is also known as Garbanzo beans orKabuli Chana. One can never stress enough on how good these chickpeas are. So we thought of listing out top 28 benefits of this wonder food.
Benefits of Chickpeas on Skin, Hair and Health
Chickpeas for Skin:
1. Wrinkles:
Manganese in chickpeas causes skin cells to produce energy and fights wrinkle-causing free radicals. Molybdenum detoxifies skin by removing sulphites. Other nutrients like folate and Vitamin B work as fuel for the skin cells. They repair damage from the sun and harmful toxins.
2. Face Pack:
Mix chickpea flour with turmeric to cleanse and exfoliate your face. This will improve your skin texture, remove dead cells, moisturise and improve your complexion too.
3. Face Cleanser:
To use chickpeas flour as a natural cleanser:
- Mix chickpea flour with turmeric powder and milk or yogurt.
- Make a fine paste apply it evenly on the face.
- Wash off thoroughly after 10-15 minutes with warm water.
4. Reduce Age Spots:
To use chick peas for reducing age spots:
- Mash boiled chickpeas.
- Add some water to make a fine paste.
- Apply and spread it evenly on your face or hands.
This will help reduce age spots on your face and body.
5. Ringworm Infection:
Include chickpeas flour chapattis in your daily diet for at least a month. This will help you get rid of ringworm infections.
6. Treatment of Leucoderma:
Chickpea’s role in treating Leucoderma is appreciable. To use:
- Soak a cup of chickpea with eight grams of triphala churan and water.
- Keep it aside for 24 hours.
- Consume when you see it sprouting.
Repeat this regularly for a few months to reduce white spots due to Leucoderma.
Chickpeas for Hair:
7. Facial Hair:
Chickpeas are also helpful in removing facial hair. Here is how:
- Mix turmeric and chickpea flour to make a fine paste
- Apply evenly on your face
- Alternately, you can also use this as a facial scrub
- Wash after 10-15 minutes
Do this regularly for a month for best results
8. Hair Strengthening:
Garbanzo beans are great strengthening your hair. The good amounts of protein and manganese help prevent greying hair.
9. Dandruff:
Chickpeas work wonders in curing dandruff. To use:
- Mix six tablespoons of chickpea flour with water.
- Massage this paste on your hair for a few minutes before the final rinse.
This will help in keeping the flaky dandruff at bay and reduce infection too.
Chickpeas for Health:
10. Controls Hunger:
Chickpeas are rich in fiber and are filled with high quality protein. These two nutrients keep you full for longer and hence control hunger. These essential nutrients found in chickpeas make it ideal for weight loss and weight management.
11. Cholesterol Reduction:
Including 3/4th cup of chickpeas in your daily diet can immensely help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Chickpeas contain dyslipidemia that prevents the concentration of cholesterol in blood. This in turn lowers the risk of heart disease and strokes.
12. Cooking:
Chickpeas can be cooked and used in salads, curries, soups and stews. Roasted chickpeas, with few savoury spices, make for an ideal evening snack. It finds it way in Gluten-free diet too. And can be used in variety of dishes like pakoras, pappadams or pancakes and as a substitute for eggs in baking.
13. Low Sulphites:
Chickpeas come with high amounts of mineral and molybdenum. These are essential for detoxifying sulphite compounds from food products, dried fruits and even wine. Sulphite compounds often cause dizziness, rapid heart rate, headache, and other unpleasant symptoms. Molybdenum also cleanses our liver.
14. Soluble Fiber:
Chickpeas come with decent amount of soluble fiber. This helps lower heart disease risk and stabilizes blood sugar levels too. The soluble fiber acts as a sponge and cleans up bile with bad cholesterol. It also gives one the feeling of a fuller stomach.
15. Good Sleep:
As one of the richest sources of amino acids, tryptophan and serotonin, chickpeas play a vital role in regulating mood and sleep. Consuming tryptophan at night makes one calm and feel peaceful.
16. Immune System:
Chickpeas are loaded with good iron. Iron helps transporting oxygen through the body and is imperative for maintaining a strong immune system and good metabolism.
17. Heart Disease:
Regular consumption of garbanzo beans cleanses bad cholesterol, lowers cholesterol levels and triglycerides. These beans are your heart’s friend. The unique combination of antioxidants in chickpeas supports blood vessels’ walls and blood. The Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-3 fatty acids together reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risks.
18. Women’s Health:
Chickpeas benefits are great for women health too. The phytochemicals or saponins in chickpeas, act extremely helpful in the prevention of breast cancer and osteoporosis. It is also great for lowering incidences of hot flushes post menopause.
19. Iron for Energy:
Full of iron, chickpeas help boost energy. Iron is essential for pregnant or lactating mothers too. Children and adolescents need iron in good amounts for performing routine tasks.
20. Manganese:
With the help of minerals and manganese, chickpeas facilitate the functioning of enzymes, energy production and antioxidant defense.
21. Calcium:
The good amount of calcium found in chickpeas is equivalent to that of milk and yogurt, hence good for bones health.
22. Folic acid:
Chickpeas have good quantity of folates or folic acid – regarded as the most essential nutrient for an expecting mother. It is also useful in the treatment of spinal injury and the development of foetal brain.
23. Controls Diabetes:
Chickpeas are low on the glycemic index – good for prevention and regulation of blood sugar levels. Fiber and protein help maintain the flow of food in to the digestive tract. It also prevents breaking of food too quickly or slowly. This healthy rate releases sugar from the food and stabilizes its digestive impact on our blood sugar. Chickpeas are highly recommended for diabetics and insulin resistants.
24. Phosphorous:
Chickpeas have good quantity of phosphorous and iron. Together these help increase the blood cell count. It also improves haemoglobin and cleanses excess salts from the kidney.
25. Cancer:
Chickpeas lower the risk of cancer too. The soluble fiber reaches colon and breaks bacteria into fatty acids. This gets absorbed by the colon cells and is converted into energy. Hence, allowing colon cells to stay healthy and lowering the risk of cancer.
26. Kidney Stones:
Chickpeas are excellent for preventing kidney stones. Here is how:
- Soak ½ cup chickpeas in water.
- Keep it soaked overnight.
- Consume it with honey the next morning to prevent kidney stones
27. Jaundice:
Chickpeas are great for curing jaundice too. Consuming a cup of chickpeas soaked in water with jaggery can help cure jaundice and frequent vomiting associated with it.
28. Heart Attacks:
Chickpeas are good sources of folates that reduce the level of amino acid and homocysteine. High level of such amino acid causes risk that may lead to heart attacks and stroke.
Quick ways to add it to your diet: Hummus
Now that we’ve laid enough stress on how important chickpeas are, here’s the hummus recipe. A recipe that has got most parts of the world hooked onto it. It easy, it is quick. Thus, enjoy the benefits of eating chickpeas in this form!
Ingredients
- 600g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 60ml water
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100 ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoon tahini paste
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Toasted bread to serve
Procedure:
- Place all the ingredients – chickpeas, olive oil, garlic cloves, tahini paste, ground cumin and lemon juice – together in a food processor.
- Process until it properly combines.
- Add water and process it again till you get the desired texture and consistency.
Place the dip in a bowl and serve with fresh toasted bread, preferably Turkish bread.
Hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did in writing. Do tell us how you use chickpeas to your benefit. Share your experiences and leave your comments below.
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