The Most Incredible Health Benefits of Chickpea Flour

Have you seen or used chickpeas before? If you are not familiar with them, that’s fine, but you ay already be eating them as part of your meals without even knowing! They are usually added to salads, or ground up to make hummus. How about chickpea flour, have you ever used that? Well, this wholesome flour has a lot of essential nutrients which make up its amazing health benefits. Learn more about this amazing flour by giving this article a read!

Chickpea Flour: What Is It?

Chickpeas were one of the first crops ever cultivated by humans. In today’s day and age, they are still one of the most well-known legumes all over the world. So it’s not really a surprise that some cultures have been using them to make grain-free, resourceful flour for centuries now.

Chickpeas have been an essential part of various traditional diet plans for more than 7500 years. Over the years, they have been linked to better heart health, better weight management and increased longevity. Though still not that popular in Europe, chickpea flour is starting to become much easier to find in the United States.

Nowadays, as in previous generation, chickpeas flour very common in various regions of South Asia and the Middle East. Traditional uses of chickpeas flour include curries, cakes or breakfast porridge. One popular street food in India, called Chila, is also made with chickpea flour batter. In Spain, it can be used as a substitute for corn when making tortillas.

Eating chickpeas or chickpea flour is a great way to increase your fiber intake. Furthermore, because they are rich in fiber, many studies also show that increasing your chickpea (or any other type of legume) intake may help reduce the risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.

Nutritional Facts of Chickpeas

Chickpea flour may offer a lot of important vitamins and essential minerals. For instance, they are thought to have good amounts of magnesium and calcium. They are also rich in folate, necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Not only that, chickpeas have a good amount of B vitamins, like vitamin B6, and a lot of potassium, which is good for your heart.

Chickpeas flour contains a few potent antioxidant minerals, like selenium and iron. It is a good addition to gluten-free diets, which are becoming more and more popular.

A half-cup serving of chickpea flour may contain the following essential nutrients:

Health Benefits of Chickpea Flour

Here are some of the most incredible health benefits of chickpea flour:

• Good for digestion and free of gluten. Since chickpea flour has no wheat, rye, barley, or oats, it is totally free of gluten and other grains. If you are allergic to gluten, you can still eat chickpeas flour, as it has no effect on the guts, immune responses or indigestion.
• Helps improve immune function and lower inflammation. Chickpea flour is considered an anti-inflammatory food, and the consumption of beans has been shown to have a great effect on treating cancer. The high levels of fiber in beans like chickpeas may draw toxins out of the digestive system, thus keeping the cells well-protected and preventing inflammation. It can also get rid of free radicals.
• May help in losing weight. Diets rich in fiber may help with weight loss, as fiber-rich foods are commonly low in calories, and yet tend to grow in the intestines, which may turn off the body’s hunger signals.
• Helps stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes. The soluble fiber in chickpea flour is not only essential in lowering blood sugar levels, it also helps slow down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream. This is one of the best health benefits of chickpea flour, especially for those who have diabetes.
• Improves heart health. Rich in fiber, chickpea flour is essential in balancing unhealthy cholesterol levels, reducing hypertension and protecting against heart conditions. Furthermore, it may also help keep arteries clear from any plaque buildup.