Chickpeas
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, and other legumes straddle both protein and vegetable groups. They’re loaded with protein, iron, and zinc, as you might expect from other protein sources like meat, but legumes also contain nutrients that are concentrated in the vegetable kingdom, including fiber, folate, and potassium. You get the best of both worlds with chickpeas, all the while enjoying a food that is naturally low in saturated fat and sodium and free of cholesterol.
The most comprehensive analysis of diet and cancer ever performed was published by the American Institute for Cancer Research. Sifting through some half a million studies, nine independent research teams from around the globe created a landmark scientific consensus report reviewed by 21 of the top cancer researchers in the world. One of their summary cancer-prevention recommendations is to eat whole grains and/or legumes—beans, split peas, lentils, or chickpeas—with every meal. Not every week or every day. Every meal.
Legume consumption is associated with a slimmer waist and lower blood pressure, and randomized trials have shown it may match or beat out calorie cutting for slimming tummy fat as well as improving the regulation of blood sugar, insulin levels, and cholesterol. Beans are packed with fiber, folate, and phytates, which may help reduce the risk of stroke, depression, and colon cancer.
In my Daily Dozen, I recommend at least three daily servings of beans a day, which comprise all the different kinds of beans, including soybeans, split peas, lentils, and chickpeas. A serving is defined as a quarter cup of hummus or bean dip; a half cup of cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh; or a full cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils.
The information on this page has been compiled from Dr. Greger’s research. Sources for each video listed can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab. References may also be found at the back of his books.
Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.
Popular Videos for Chickpeas
Benefits of Lentils and Chickpeas
Lentils and chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are put to the test.
Benefits of Beans for Peripheral Vascular Disease
Do legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils—work only to prevent disease, or can they help...All Videos for Chickpeas
-
Strategies to Eat Less Meat
What is the most effective way to help people reduce their meat consumption?
-
Is Oatmeal Good for People with Diabetes?
Before there was insulin, there was the “oatmeal cure.”
-
The Impacts of Plant-Based Diets on Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer
Why do people who eat more plants get less breast and prostate cancer?
-
The Best Diet for Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Pain Relief
Anti-inflammatory diets can be effective in alleviating chronic pain syndromes.
-
The Harms Associated with Eating More Southern-Style Food
Diet appears to mediate the majority of the racial health gap.
-
Diet and Lifestyle for Cancer Prevention and Survival
What kind of diet should cancer patients eat?
-
Low-Protein Diets for Parkinson’s Disease
How might we maximize the therapeutic efficiency of levodopa?
-
How Much Does Meat Affect Longevity?
If you care about your health so much that it would be unthinkable to light up a cigarette before and after lunch, maybe you should order a bean burrito instead of a meaty one.
-
Are the Health Benefits of Nuts Limited to Those Eating Bad Diets?
Do nut eaters live longer simply because they swap in protein from plants in place of animal protein?
-
Blocking the Cancer Metastasis Enzyme MMP-9 with Beans and Chickpeas
Which legumes are best at inhibiting the matrix metalloproteinase enzymes that allow cancer to become invasive?
