The
chickpea – like all other members of the legumes family – offers a lot
of proteins, minerals and fibre. Just one cup of uncooked legumes
delivers 14 to 20 grams of fibre, more than whole wheat. Nutrition
experts nowadays recommend to eat at least 25 grams of fibre a day, a
huge amount for most people.
Fibre helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, making chickpeas an excellent choice for diabetics and people with insulin resistance or hypoglycaemia. A 2012 study of people with type 2 diabetes has shown that eating one cup of legumes a day for three months lowered blood sugar and blood pressure.
Furthermore, fibre traps bile loaded with cholesterol in the digestive tract and helps bowel movement, preventing digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome. Eating legumes regularly also lowers bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
Legumes provide a wealth of minerals as well. For example chickpeas contain plenty of folic acid, manganese and iron needed for healthy bones and blood production. They contain large amounts of the trace mineral molybdenum that flushes out the preservative sulphite from our bodies.
Legumes are also rich in various antioxidants and phytonutrients. At the moment, scientists continue to discover new varieties of these substances all the time. Antioxidants fight free radicals, atoms that miss an electron in their outer shell. In their search for missing electrons they grab them where they can get them and damaging healthy body cells. Free radicals are a normal by-product of our digestion. Smoking, drinking and pollution increase the amount of free radicals in our bodies. Antioxidants neutralise free radicals by providing them with missing electrons.
Fibre helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, making chickpeas an excellent choice for diabetics and people with insulin resistance or hypoglycaemia. A 2012 study of people with type 2 diabetes has shown that eating one cup of legumes a day for three months lowered blood sugar and blood pressure.
Furthermore, fibre traps bile loaded with cholesterol in the digestive tract and helps bowel movement, preventing digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome. Eating legumes regularly also lowers bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
Legumes provide a wealth of minerals as well. For example chickpeas contain plenty of folic acid, manganese and iron needed for healthy bones and blood production. They contain large amounts of the trace mineral molybdenum that flushes out the preservative sulphite from our bodies.
Legumes are also rich in various antioxidants and phytonutrients. At the moment, scientists continue to discover new varieties of these substances all the time. Antioxidants fight free radicals, atoms that miss an electron in their outer shell. In their search for missing electrons they grab them where they can get them and damaging healthy body cells. Free radicals are a normal by-product of our digestion. Smoking, drinking and pollution increase the amount of free radicals in our bodies. Antioxidants neutralise free radicals by providing them with missing electrons.