Nutritional Value of Chickpeas

Chickpea is a leguminous plant that originated in western Asia and the Near East. It is the largest legume plant in the world, with an area of ​​about 150 million mu. The cultivated area in India and Pakistan accounts for more than 80% of the world's total, and there are only a few in China. It is named so because of its peculiar shape, which is as sharp as an eagle's beak. The starch of chickpea has a chestnut flavor. Chickpea powder and milk powder are made into soy milk powder, which is easy to absorb and digest and is a nutritious food for infants and the elderly. Chickpeas can also be made into various snacks and fried beans. The seeds can be used as diuretics, milk-stimulating agents, and can treat insomnia, prevent skin diseases, and prevent and treat gallbladder diseases. Starch is widely used in the papermaking industry and the textile industry.

Nutritional Value of Chickpeas

Chickpeas are highly nutritious legumes, rich in a variety of plant proteins and amino acids, vitamins, crude fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron and other ingredients. In addition, the seeds also contain adenine, choline, inositol, starch, sucrose, glucose and so on. The pure protein content is as high as 28%, fat 5%, carbohydrates 61%, fiber 4-6%. Chickpeas contain more than 10 kinds of amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids for the human body, and the content is more than 2 times higher than that of oats. Every 100 grams of protein contains 16.0g of glutamic acid, 4.6g of leucine and 4.6g of lysine.

The main function of chickpeas

Chickpeas contain high protein, high unsaturated fatty acids, high fiber, high calcium, high zinc, high potassium, high vitamin B and other nutrients that are beneficial to human health. They can be eaten directly, fried or cooked; or made into sweets, bean paste, etc.; they can also be processed into various snacks or fried beans, various flavors of small foods, snacks and canned foods; green beans can be used as vegetables. They can also be eaten raw, and the young leaves can also be used as vegetables. Now there are chickpea flour, fermented milk, protein drinks, etc.; in the United States and other countries, they are often made into salads.

In addition to being eaten directly, chickpeas can also be used as a nutritional enhancer to prepare nutritionally fortified foods in combination with other food materials. In addition to being used as food, chickpeas are also widely used in medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine shows that it has obvious effects in treating diabetes, cardiovascular disease, blood tonic, calcium supplementation, etc. Foreign research results on its medicinal functions are also quite rich.

Chickpeas’ medicinal benefits

Chickpea isoflavones have a great impact on women's health. They are active plant estrogens that can delay female cell aging, keep the skin elastic, nourish the skin, enlarge breasts, reduce bone loss, promote bone formation, lower blood lipids, and alleviate female menopausal symptoms.

Chickpea isoflavones also prevent cancer cell proliferation and promote cancer cell death. It can effectively prevent and treat hormonal cancers (such as breast cancer and prostate cancer). It can balance hormone levels, so that consumers are less likely to suffer from premenstrual discomfort and hormone-related problems (such as ovarian cysts).

Chickpeas contain trace elements of chromium, which plays an important role in the body's sugar metabolism and fat metabolism. Diabetic patients suffer from disorders in sugar metabolism, fat metabolism, and protein metabolism because of relative or absolute insulin deficiency. Chromium is a component of glucose tolerance factor (GTF). Chickpeas can control and lower blood sugar, prevent and slow down diabetic complications. There are reports from all over the world that the chromium content of diabetic patients is lower than that of healthy people. The regulation of human blood sugar metabolism depends on the level and coordination of three factors, namely insulin, glucose tolerance receptors, and pancreatic islet receptors. A decrease in the amount of chromium in the human body will lead to a decrease in insulin activity, a decrease in the number of receptors, and impaired glucose tolerance, thereby causing diabetes. Eating chickpea products can increase the insulin activity and the number of insulin receptors in the body, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling blood sugar and improving diabetic symptoms.

The chromium and polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in chickpeas can promote cholesterol metabolism, prevent lipid deposition in the liver and arterial walls, reduce platelet aggregation, and prevent thrombosis. It prevents inflammatory reactions on the surface of vascular damage, has a good protective effect on blood vessels, and can effectively prevent and alleviate diabetic complications. Many diabetic patients with high, fluctuating, and unstable blood sugar levels have effectively controlled their blood sugar within 3 months of consuming chickpea products, and their complications have also been effectively prevented and alleviated.