| Chickpeas Lower Cholesterol, are an Excellent Source of Protein and Promote a Healthy Heart |
There is evidence that the chickpea originated in Persia and that they were a staple of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced chickpeas to the subtropical regions during the 16th century. Hummus is made from chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt, and falafal is also made from chickpeas and/or fava beans. Chickpeas can cooked in stews or curries, used cold in salads, and also ground and used as flour. Today, the top producer of chickpeas is India, with Pakistan, Turkey, Ethiopia, and Mexico the other main countries of production. Health Benefits of Chickpeas
Chickpeas contain oxalate and individuals with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones should limit their intake of chickpeas. References: 1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno. 2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology. 3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. 4. Pittaway JK, Ahuja KD, Cehun M, Chronopoulos A, Robertson IK, Nestel PJ, Ball MJ. Dietary supplementation with chickpeas for at least 5 weeks results in small but significant reductions in serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols in adult women and men. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(6):512-8. Epub 2006 Dec 21. PMID: 17191025. 5. Yang Y, Zhou L, Gu Y, Zhang Y, Tang J, Li F, Shang W, Jiang B, Yue X, Chen M. Dietary chickpeas reverse visceral adiposity, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance in rats induced by a chronic high-fat diet. Br J Nutr. 2007 Oct;98(4):720-6. Epub 2007 Aug 1. PMID: 17666145. 6. Williams SM, Venn BJ, Perry T, Brown R, Wallace A, Mann JI, Green TJ. Another approach to estimating the reliability of glycaemic index. PMID: 18186950. 7. Rochfort S, Panozzo J. Phytochemicals for health, the role of pulses. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Oct 3;55(20):7981-94. Epub 2007 Sep 5. PMID: 17784726. 8. Leterme P. Recommendations by health organizations for pulse consumption. Br J Nutr. 2002 Dec;88 Suppl 3:S239-42. PMID: 12498622. |
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There is evidence that the chickpea originated in Persia and that they were a staple of the ancient Greeks and Romans. 










