There are a lot of health benefits of hummus that will surprise you. This tasty dish actually originates in the Middle East and it’s a dip, spread or paste made of chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste) often with lemon juice, salt, fresh garlic, paprika and/or olive oil. It's widely used in countries like Syria, Israel, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Cyprus but a lot of people around the world love it. Here are 7 health benefits of hummus that may surprise you and that will convince you to include it in your diet more often:
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1. It Can Help Keep You Regular
One of the most important health benefits of hummus is the fact that it can help you keep your digestive tract regular since it has very high fiber content. So you could say that this dish is basically a very tasty and healthy way to get more fiber into your diet!
2. It Has a Lot of Protein
Because hummus has such a high amount of protein, it can help you improve your bone, muscle, skin and blood health. Of course, you can get all that protein from meat, but if you're vegetarian, then this is the best way to add some protein to your diet.
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3. It Can Help You Lower Your Cholesterol
Hummus can even help you lower your cholesterol thanks to its main ingredient, chickpeas, which are also known as garbanzo beans. In general, beans contain a lot of nutrients that can help lower your cholesterol since they do not contain any saturated fats. Chickpeas are not only very effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in blood vessels; they can also help you maintain correct blood sugar levels.
4. It Can Help You Lose Weight
Among the numerous health benefits of hummus, one of the most important ones is the fact that it can help you lose weight, since this delicious dish is traditionally made with sesame seed butter (tahini) which contains a fair amount of monounsaturated fats. These chemicals have the ability to help promote weight loss and they can reduce belly fat because monounsaturated fat is a very popular substitute for trans fats which cause weight gain.
5. It Can Help Your Bones Grow Stronger
Since chickpeas and tahini both contain a high amount of calcium, hummus can help your bones grow stronger. This health benefit of this tasty and very nutritious dish is very important for women who are reaching their golden years, because their bones need calcium to avoid osteoporosis.
6. It Can Help Alleviate Anemia
Hummus can even help alleviate anemia since chickpeas and tahini are good sources of iron which helps deliver oxygen to red blood cells. If you have a deficiency in iron, you can get anemia, so consuming foods that are high in iron will help relieve that deficiency.
7. It’s Great for Allergies
Hummus is also great for allergies since it’s gluten-free, nut free and dairy free. So, if you suffer from allergies, you should know that hummus is a very tasty dish that you can eat freely. You can replace a lot of things with hummus, this way, reducing your risk of getting allergies.
Hummus is a delicious dish rich in essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc which also provides a wide range of vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6 and folate. Do you know any other health benefits of hummus? Please tell us about them in the comments section!
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