Ingredient Spotlight: Chickpeas (International Hummus Day – May 14)

We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty sure everyone we know loves hummus as much as we do. Whether you spell it humus, houmous or hummus, we don’t care! We just know it tastes delicious and it’s full of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) which are amazing for our health.

To celebrate International Hummus Day we’d like to share with you some of the epic health benefits of chickpeas. Read on fellow hummus lover!

Protein, protein, protein!

Chickpeas are absolute protein powerhouses! If you are on a plant-based diet (vegan), they are especially important to keep your macros sorted and your tummy feeling full. Just one cup of chickpeas is going to take care of a third of your daily requirement for protein.

Full of fibre

We’ve mentioned the importance of fibre for your digestive health before on the blog, and chickpeas are a great way to ensure you are keeping up your intake. That same cup of chickpeas that gave you a third of your daily requirement for protein, is also going to give you a third of your fibre requirement.

A tick for folate

Folate is one of the B vitamin group, and one that becomes particularly important if you become pregnant or are planning on it. Because folate is crucial for fetal development so can’t be missed. One cup of chickpeas is going to give a pregnant woman 70% or her daily folate requirement.

Get energised

Just a cup of chickpeas is going to give you 26% of your daily iron and 64% of your daily copper requirements. These guys are critical in keeping those important energy levels up, helping you to live a full and productive life!

Stacks up with selenium

Selenium is a little known mineral with several important jobs within the body. Selenium works wonders for inflammation, helps with liver function and has been shown to inhibit tumour growth. The mineral is usually not found in fruits and vegetables, but one cup of chickpeas will give you 9% of your daily requirement.

Give me the hummus!

Now that we’ve concluded how amazing chickpeas are for our health, there’s just one more benefit we’d like to mention: How much your taste buds are going to love you for delivering them some silky smooth and slightly tangy hummus to them!

Ready to celebrate International Hummus Day with us? Add hummus and carrot sticks to your next order with Chef Good. Check out the full menus here.