Hummus: The Chickpea Concoction

by  M. Khamal Murray

Hummus is a Levantine Arab food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is popular throughout the Middle East and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. (wikipedia)

Already we have talked about the chickpea and its super food status among the foods we eat daily. Two cups of this bean gives you the daily source of fiber your body needs. It has been found and suggested by the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health that western practices of food consumption that has trickled into most world cultures leaving one predisposed to increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease which are common to societies that consume highly processed foods.

The research suggest also, that evidence points to a loss of dietary fiber in the diet as being a major risk factor for health problems but one of the simplest to remedy without recourse to major changes in diet. The function of dietary fiber is to reduce cholesterol, attenuate blood glucose, maintain gastrointestinal health, and positively affect calcium bio-availability and immune function. High intakes of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies that followed people for many years. In a Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals, researchers found that a high total dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to a low fiber intake.

Finally, the team suggests that to avoid initial problems, such as intestinal gas and loose stool, it is best to increase intake gradually and to spread high-fiber foods out throughout the day, at meals and snacks .

Some foods high in fiber include, broccoli, beans, peas, grain, avocado, pears, corn, raspberries, wheat, oats, apples with skin, Almonds etc

Also See: Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans   & How to make Hummus

About Author: M. Khamal Murray is a major in Bioethics & Equity at the University of Toronto, a published journalist & writer with the Jamaican Canadian Xpress, film opinionist and contributor to online News Mag Alternavox  & Science Mag LifeofALabRat.