If you workout at Rising Fitness in Houston, Texas, you’ve probably already have heard of hummus and maybe even have a few great variations of it that you love. It’s not just good for you, it’s delicious. It’s made from chickpeas—also called garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice and a paste made from sesame seeds called tahini. It is higher in fiber than other types of dips and high in protein. That means it keeps you feeling full longer and help you lose weight.
The ingredients in hummus are healthy and anti-inflammatory.
Inflammation is good if it’s fighting off infection or aiding to heal an injury. Chronic inflammation is quite a different matter. Chronic inflammation can cause serious conditions, such as arthritis, cancer and heart disease. Virgin olive oil is an anti-inflammatory food due to its olecanthal that fights inflammation as well as anti-inflammatory medicines. The sesame seed paste, tahini, and chickpeas, which is a legume, reduce the markers of inflammation.
Hummus is high in fiber and low on the glycemic index.
Hummus has good deal of dietary fiber, which is an aid to digestion in several ways. Insoluble fiber provides bulk to make your bathroom trips regular. The fiber in hummus not only softens your stool, the soluble fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in your digestive track. One study showed that eating just 200 grams of chickpeas to your diet for three weeks boosted the growth of beneficial bacteria, while preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. The fiber also slows the digestion and absorption of nutrients, so it doesn’t spike blood sugar levels.
You can create a wide variety of hummus to suit any taste and budget.
Traditional hummus recipes call for chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon, garlic and parsley. If you want smooth, creamier hummus, you have to remove the skins of the chickpeas, which takes a little extra time, but otherwise, hummus is relatively easy to make at home. It can be made more inexpensive by using dried chickpeas and making your own tahini by grinding sesame seeds in a blender until its sesame butter. Add roasted garlic, basil, yogurt, avocado or other ingredients to change the flavor to a pesto, guacamole or creamier version.
- Hummus also contains resistant starch, protein and fat. All three, plus the high fiber content also lower the rate of absorption and makes hummus a low glycemic food and keeps you feeling full longer.
- The olive oil and chickpeas in hummus have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease. So hummus is a heart healthy snack.
- Hummus is packed with nutrition. It’s high in protein, healthy fat, fiber, manganese, copper, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, thiamin, vitamin B6 and potassium.
- Hummus is not only budget friendly, versatile and easy to make, it doesn’t contain dairy, nuts or gluten, so most people can eat it. It can be a great way to boost your health and help you lose weight, while providing a delicious snack.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym