Cute by name Heroes by nature

Jul 6, 2017
3 min read

Chickpeas, cute by name heroes by nature. This tiny legume packs a serious nutritional punch and at 40p a tin can be easily and cheaply added into your diet. Ditch the meat in favor of the chickpea in your next meal and experience a bucket load of health benefits, including…

Increased Weight Loss and Satiety

There are two main macronutrients in food that help us to feel full, Protein and Fiber. Chickpeas are packed with both so add that ‘full feeling’ component to your meal. We all know that feeling when you let yourself get hungry and suddenly the cravings set in and all self-control goes out the window. Keeping yourself full with the fiber, complex carbs, and protein these little heroes provide will help keep the snacking at bay.

Usually we resort to unhealthy snacking when our blood sugar levels have dipped, we start to feel low and like we need a boost, so reach for the sugar. Sound like you? Well I have more good news! The carbohydrates present in Chickpeas are complex, this means they are digested by the body slowly thus releasing energy (sugar) into the blood stream gradually. This allows your body to sustain energy levels for longer and avoids the spikes and dips in bloody sugar that would result from the simple Carbohydrates/Sugars found in many unhealthy snack foods. Maintaining a stable blood sugar level not only aids weight management but is important to managing and preventing such diseases as Diabetes.

Chickpeas are hugely versatile so getting them into your diet is easy. They can be added to salads, one pot meals and soups as well as forming the base of dishes such as bean burgers and falafels. Adding them to your diet will help to boost levels of many essential Vitamins and Minerals including magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, iron, zinc, folate, phosphorus and potassium. They are an especially vital addition to Vegetarian and Vegan diets as they top up minerals missed due to the avoidance of animal products.

Healthy Hearts

Maintaining a healthy weight is associated with lower risk of all kinds of heart related worries including Heart disease and Stroke. Keeping the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) in our blood low is vital in keeping our hearts healthy. Fiber aids this process as it creates a gel-like substance in our digestive systems. This gel can bind with fatty acids that it encounters and help to excrete them from the body.

Chickpeas contain loads of fiber thus helping to lower LDL and protect us against hypertension, high blood pressure, plaque build up and heart disease. Not only that but replacing meat in your diet with chickpeas will reduce the fat content of your diet. Saturated fat is a key contributor to bad cholesterol and heart disease risk, we should be eating no more than 30g of saturated fat a day for men and 20g a day for women. Going meat free for a few of your meals will help you keep below this target.

Recipe:

Author: Kim Lee (https://www.kimscravings.com/)

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 5 tacos with ½ cup filling and 1 corn tortilla

For the Taco filling:

425g/ 1 can can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 ripe avocado, mashed

Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped with tough stems removed

170g shredded slaw mix or thinly chopped cabbage and carrots

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt + more to taste