10 Fabulous Health Benefits of Chickpeas, Kabuli Chana

chickpeas benefits, kabuli chana benefits.

1. Prevents Spikes in Blood Sugar Levels :

Kabuli Chana which is used in popularly in Chole in India is a complex cab which prevents surges in blood sugar levels. The starch present in Chick Peas slows down the rate at which food is digested resulting in a healthy life style and Lowers Blood Pressure. You rather have complex carbs than simple carbs which are the cause of body inflammation. Chickpeas or Kabuli Chana has a Glycemic Index of 33 which is low. Glycemic Index are for foods you eat, ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels.

Foods rank from 0 to 50 are low GI, 51 to 69 are medium and 70 to 100 are high. Foods that are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss and diabetics. Foods like Chick Peas have a low GI and hence don't spike your glucose level as they are absorbed slowly. Great for weight loss and diabetics. As chickpeas is high in Magnesium and prevents blood sugar surges, it is good for diabetics. The magnesium helps improve insulin response by lowering insulin resistance ⁽¹⁾.

2. High Fiber :

Chickpeas are high in Fibre resulting in your stomach feeling a lot fuller than refined carbs. When you feel full, it will prevent you from eating the wrong foods. Imagine eating a candy and you just want to have more and more of it. That’s because there is only sugar in it and no fibre. So pick foods with high fibre like white chickpeas. The high fibre in chickpea is helpful in improving lipid profile and glycemic control ⁽²⁾.

3. Protein Rich :

One cup of cooked chickpeas has 14 grams of protein, which is a really good amount. Proteins are critical for a variety of tasks, right from the formation of new cells, strong bones, haemoglobin, to managing the wear-and-tear of body cells and muscle building.

This is a very healthy Vegetarian plant based protein. Combine it with cereals to make your meal of high biological value.

4. Rich in Folate, Vitamin B9 :

One cup of cooked chickpeas has 152% of your daily folate requirements. Folate or Vitamin B9 helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. It is particularly important for pregnant women to have enough folate. They must start having folate rich foods even while they are planning to conceive. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy can cause neural tube defects in the growing baby. Optimum folate levels need to be maintained before and during pregnancy ⁽³⁾. Chick Pea Tikkis are great tea-time snacks to be eaten during pregnancy.

5. Rich in Magnesium :

One cup of cooked chickpeas has 40% of your daily Magnesium requirements. Magnesium helps in formation of bones and teeth and metabolism of calcium and potassium. It improves insulin response by lowering insulin resistance. Having very low magnesium will result in the pancreas not secrete enough insulin to control our blood glucose ⁽⁴⁾.

6. Rich in Zinc :

Zinc is a component of the more than 300 enzymes. It is the active in metabolism of glusides and proteins, It is required for the synthesis of insulin by pancreas and for the immunity function. Zinc is present in small amount in all tissues ⁽⁵⁾.

Zinc deficiency is common in children from developing countries due to lack of intake of animal food, high dietary phylate content, inadequate food intake and increased faecal losses during diarrhea. Include custard apple to keep zinc deficiency at bay.

7. Good for Bones :

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for the formation of bones and teeth ⁽⁶⁾. It play an important part in all metabolism. Intake of phosphorus in all age groups must be equal to calcium, except in infancy- suggested ratio is 1:1.5.

8. Good for Heart :

Chickpeas is rich in Fibre, both Soluble Fibre and Insoluble Fibre . Soluble fibre may reduce the absorption of cholesterol.

Hence lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.

9. Good for Weight Loss :

Keeps you lean. As chickpeas has lots of soluble fibre which turns sticky when mixed with water, it delay stomach emptying time which hence makes you feel fuller and makes you then eat less ⁽⁷⁾. Also the high protein levels in Chick Peas makes you feel fuller.

10. Improves Digestion :

The fibre in chickpeas in helpful to reduce the incidences of constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome ⁽⁸⁾. Fibre works by absorbing water from the body and binding them to bulk the stools, it also binds harmful substances and throws them out of the body.

Nutritional Information of Kabuli Chana, (Chickpeas)

Nutritional Information for One cup of cooked Kabuli Chana (White Chickpeas).

One cup of cooked Kabuli Chana is approx. 156 grams which comes from approx. 82 grams raw Kabuli Chana

RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.

295 Calories

14 grams of Protein

50 grams of Carbs

4.3 grams of Fat

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152 mcg Folic Acid = 152% of RDA (about 100 mcg)

23.2 grams of Fibre = 92.8% of RDA (about 25 grams)

255 mg of Phosphorus = 42.6% of RDA (about 600 mg)

138 mg of Magnesium = 40% of RDA (about 350 mg)

2.37 mg of Zinc = 23.7% of RDA (about 10 mg)

3.7 mg of Iron = 18% of RDA (about 20 mg)

165 mg of Calcium = 16.5% of RDA (about 1000 mg)

154 mcg of Vitamin A = 6.45% of RDA (about 2,400 mcg)

Add Health Benefits of Chick Peas to Your Diet…

Now that you know the health benefits of chickpeas you would definitely want to have it as a part of your daily diet. A great lunch recipe to top-up your folate levels is Sprouted Kabuli Chana and Palak or have kabuli chana in your tea time snack as Masala Chickpeas The combination of spices used to make the Masala Chickpeas guarantees a super wild time, what with garlic powder, chaat masala, and more such mouth-watering stuff.

Mixed Dal with Spinach and Kabuli Chana is a Fibre, Folate and Vitamin A rich recipe a unique one to add to your diet. Mix chickpeas to your salads and make them protein and fibre rich like Broken Wheat Salad with Chick Peas and Roasted Pepper and Chick Pea Salad with Minty Curd Dressing.

If you are on a high protein diet or pregnant then Chick Pea Broccoli and Carrot Stir Fry is a perfect option to get the required nutrition.

Happy Cooking!!!