Hummus - The Power Snack

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Hummus is a power-packed snack loaded with several vitamins and minerals that are absolutely critical for a healthy diet. The main ingredient in hummus is the garbanzo bean, also known as the chickpea. Like most legumes, they are known for their rich fiber content, which has been linked to a number of health benefits. A recent study has also shown that we can obtain health benefits from garbanzo beans that are consumed at much smaller amounts over a shorter period of time. In this study, it took only one week of garbanzo bean consumption to improve participants’ control of blood sugar and insulin secretion. Equally important, only one-third of a cup of the beans per day was needed to provide these related health benefits

The Importance of Chickpeas
Like most legumes, chickpeas have been praised for their fiber content, which helps normalize bowel regularity, cholesterol levels, and can help you shed excess pounds. According to a recent study, it took only one week of garbanzo bean consumption to improve blood sugar and insulin secretion, which suggests that chickpeas can help prevent and even reverse type II diabetes. Best part yet, study subjects only ate one-third of a cup chickpeas per day so it’s not like you have to live on the stuff!

Additionally, between 65-75% of the fiber found in garbanzo beans is insoluble fiber, and recent studies have shown that this can be metabolized by bacteria in the colon to produce relatively large amounts of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including: acetic, propionic, and butyric acid. The significance behind this is that these SCFAs provide fuel to the cells that line the intestinal wall and by supporting the energy needs of intestinal cells, the SCFAs made from garbanzo fibers can help lower risk of colon problems, including your risk of colon cancer!

Nutritional Value of Chickpeas
According to a study out of the British Journal of Nutrition, “Chickpea has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids except sulphur-containing amino acids, which can be complemented by adding cereals to the daily diet…chickpea is rich in nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are important sterols present in chickpea oil. Ca, Mg, P and, especially, K are also present in chickpea seeds. Chickpea is a good source of important vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folate and the vitamin A precursor β-carotene.”

MAMA Z's HUMMUS RECIPE
Yield: Serves 8
 
Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
2 teaspoons Finely Ground Pink Himalayan Salt
1 (19 ounce) can of garbanzo beans, drained
3 tablespoons of tahini (sesame-seed paste)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of purified water, or as needed
1/4 cup of Spanish olive oil or Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil divided
1 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning, 
1 tablespoon of chopped, fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

Instructions

1. Combine into food processor or blender: garlic, sea salt garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, honey, purified water and two tablespoons of oil. Process until smooth. Spoon into a 16 ounce container.
2. Top with herbs and two tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Freezes or refrigerates well.

Serving Suggestions: Hummus is a tasty dip for raw veggies. We also enjoy stirring a few tablespoons of hummus into our taco filling.

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About the authors: 

Eric L. Zielinski, DC (c), MPH (c) has devoted his life to natural health and wellness for over a decade. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Eric’s mission is to seek out ways to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to achieve the Abundant Life. Formally trained as a chiropractor and public health researcher, Eric’s primary approach is to encourage people to become Urban Homesteaders and to embrace natural health care, wellness principles balanced nutrition, and empowering God-centered life strategies. He and his wife Sabrina live in Atlanta, GA with their three children Esther, Isaiah, and Elijah. 

Sabrina Ann Zielinski (Mama Z) is truly a Proverbs 31 woman who is passionate about Urban Homestead and providing her family with allergy-friendly, healthy food that tastes great. In addition to being a devoted stay-at-home mom, she’s a doTERRA Wellness Advocate, personal fitness instructor, health coach, marketing consultant, and pageant trainer.

Their goal is to Help YOU Live the Abundant Life. Visit their website at http://DrEricZ.com 

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