Chickpeas have a number of health benefits from weight management to heart protection.
Peas come in different colors: yellow, green, red and black. Today there are two main types: the light-seeded reception type and the smaller, darker desi type. High in protein, the pea is one of the first legumes to be cultivated – 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East at the archaeological sites of Jericho and Kayonu in Turkey, where it is believed to have been domesticated early.
The ancients associated peas with Venus and ate them to increase the production of sperm, milk and urine – the latter to eliminate kidney stones. They are also roasted as a coffee substitute.
In addition to being a food source, historically the leaves, stems, and pods of the pea plant were cultivated for various acids that were spread over the crop with thin lengths of muslin during the day. The morning cloth was pressed to collect the acids. These were used for a variety of medicinal purposes: as an aphrodisiac, for bronchitis, phlegm, cholera, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, stomachache, snakebite, sunburn, and tumors.
In addition, chickpeas are used to remove parasitic worms from the body, as well as to treat disorders of the blood and bile (related to the liver or gall bladder).
Pea food
Peas contain dietary bioactives such as phytic acids, sterols, tannins, carotenoids and other polyphenols such as isoflavones. They are lower in trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors than other legumes, leading to higher levels of biological nutrition and fewer digestive problems. In the 1600s, botanist Nicholas Culpepper argued that they were less windy and more nutritious than other legumes.
Peas have a nutritional profile similar to both vegetable and protein foods, so they can be used to partially meet the needs of both food groups. They are high in protein (including the essential amino acids lysine, isoleucine and tryptophan), dietary fiber and resistant starch, saturated fatty acids, vitamins A, E and C, folate, magnesium, potassium and iron.
They are more digestible than other legumes and cereals.
Cooked peas are 60% water, 9% protein and 3% fat (75% of which are polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid).
Soaking and cooking increases protein quality, digestibility and essential amino acid index, while reducing sugars and increasing fiber. The plant improves protein digestibility, but retains water-soluble minerals and B vitamins more effectively.
A 100 gram portion of chickpeas meets the recommended daily value of iron and zinc in the daily diet of 8400 kJ, while 200 grams meets the daily requirement of magnesium.
Cooking
Chickpeas are used in the culinary world in many ways: as a cooked legume, as flour, sprinkled (like popcorn), boiled, baked or fried, but the most common preparation is hummus, in which it is cooked, kneaded, mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and various spices and consumed as a source. Chickpeas can even be preserved in syrup and eaten as a dessert, or made liquid (aquafaba) into meringue (as an egg white substitute).
Studies of people who eat chickpeas or hummus twice a week have shown that they have better levels of dietary fiber, PUFAs, vitamins A, C and E, folate, magnesium, potassium and iron for a number of nutrients compared to non-consumers.
Four tablespoons of hummus provides the equivalent of two cups of legumes and vegetables per week.
The therapeutic effect of peas
Weight management
High-fiber, low-energy-dense, low-GI, and moderate-protein diets are important in weight control. Regular chickpea eaters had 53 percent less obesity and 51 percent less high blood glucose than the general population. They also had lower body mass index and lower waist circumference.
Glucose and insulin response
Chickpeas have a low glycemic index (GI) of 15 to 28, depending on whether they are consumed as hummus or beans. Hummus’ high fat content lowers the GI. In a 20-week study, chickpeas significantly improved glycemic control in 45 subjects with cardiovascular disease. Peas improve insulin resistance and prevent postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia caused by a high-fat diet and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease
Another study found that chickpea consumption was associated with significant reductions in total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. A high pea diet also reduced systolic blood pressure in overweight people and improved visceral adiposity, indicating reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Gastrointestinal system
Human studies of chickpea consumption report overall improvement in gut health and normalization of bowel movements.
Adding 1.5 cups (or more) of chickpeas per week to the diet showed major nutritional improvements, with hummus consumers scoring higher for nutrients in total vegetables (including green and orange vegetables) and whole grains.
This makes chickpeas a delicious and easy way to improve your health.
