Friends who eat chicken – this recipe would be delicious with chicken too! It’s truly remarkable with that crispy texture on that pan-fried tofu and those tender vegetables coated in a sesame ginger sauce that’s so good you’ll want to toss it with all the things. You can also spread it on a sandwich as a more nutritious alternative to commonly used condiments, such as mayo or mustard.This has been my favorite tofu stir fry recipe for the better part of the last decade! When using hummus as a dip, says Piñero, you can save calories and bump up the nutrition by swapping veggies, such as celery stalks, or carrot or cucumber slices, for pita chips or bread. The US Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting your daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day. A 2-tablespoon serving of Pita Pal Original Hummus, for example, has 65 milligrams of sodium while Sabra Classic Hummus has twice as much-130 milligrams. (Piñero suggests avoiding hummus made with other oils, such as soybean oil, since the fatty acid composition of that oil isn't as healthful as olive oil.)īut, says Piñero, the biggest thing to pay attention to when buying hummus in the store is the sodium content, since some brands add more than others. Plus, if hummus is made traditionally, with olive oil, you'll also get a dose of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. A serving of hummus supplies 2.4 grams of protein. 'The quality of the protein is slightly higher,' he says, meaning chickpeas contain a good variety of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and their protein is easily digested. Within pulses as a food group, says Piñero, chickpeas are extra special because they have a better nutritional profile than other beans, such as black beans. The study results don't prove that chickpeas or hummus was responsible for making these people healthier, but the findings do suggest that those who eat these foods tend to be healthier overall. Hummus and chickpea eaters also had smaller waists and a lower body mass index-interesting findings given that there was no difference in calorie intake between the two groups. These healthful attributes might help explain why studies suggest that people who eat a lot of pulses tend to weigh less, have better regulated blood sugar (glucose), lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.Ī study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences in 2014, for example, found that those who reported eating any amount of chickpeas, hummus, or both at the time they were interviewed had markers that point to better health compared with non- eaters.Īdmittedly, the number of chickpea and hummus eaters was small-264 out of the 18,000 adults in the study-but they were 43 to 53 percent less likely to be overweight or obese, and were 51 percent less likely to have elevated blood glucose levels than non-eaters. 'Our diets are low in fiber,' Piñero says, 'so including chickpeas in your diet … is good for your intestine and your health.' (The Daily Value for fiber is 25 grams.) And pulses, dietitians will say, rank high on the healthy foods list.Ĭhickpeas are chock-full of key nutrients, such as B vitamins, calcium, folic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and zinc, Piñero says.Īnd they're loaded with fiber-a 2-tablespoon serving of hummus supplies 2 grams. Also called garbanzo beans, they-along with dried beans, dried peas, and lentils-belong to a class of legumes called pulses.

The chickpeas are likely mostly responsible for hummus' health benefits.

Little sesame calories