Chickpea: Health Benefits, Uses and Side Effects

This is an annual legume which belongs to the family Fabaceae and to the sub family named Faboideae, along with this it is present in various different types which are said to be gram or Bengal gram, Egyptian pea, garbanzo or garbanzo bean.

This chickpea has become a very basic and key ingredient of cuisines that belong to the Middle Eastern and the Mediterranean region and is consumed in the form of hummus and when it is ground into flour it is taken as falafel.

This has become an important part of the Indian cuisine as well and in this it is consumed in the form of stews, curry and salads, chana masala, salads and several other dishes like that of chana.

In the year 2019, out of the complete production of chickpea in the world India produced around 70% of the total.

This is considered to be very dense and full with nutrients and provides and fulfills almost 20% of your everyday requirement of protein, folate, various dietary fibers and minerals which might include phosphorus and iron.

Chickpeas are also known to provide a moderate amount of magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6 and thiamine and along with this cooked chickpeas are rich in amino acids.

This is found to be a great source of protein which is plant based and this is the reason it becomes a great source of protein for those people who are not eating animal meat or any kind of animal products.

The protein that is present in the chickpeas will also help you remain full for a longer period of time and it will also help you to bring your appetite under control.

As protein is known for influencing and managing the health of the bone, weight, and muscle strength, consuming chickpea will have a positive effect on this as well.

Chickpea is considered to be very rich in fiber and because of this attribute of chickpea it is very helpful in the digestive health of a person.

The fibers that are present in this are mostly soluble states, chickpeas easily blend in water and lead to the formation of a gel like substance when it is present in the digestive tract.

According to other available information, it is also seen and observed that chickpeas also ease, increase the frequency and consistency of the bowel movements.

Just because of this reason too it has become very helpful for our digestive system.

This contains a lot of nutrient profile and which makes it very helpful in supporting the functioning of the brain and mental health as well.

This support of the brain and mental health is possible because chickpea is a source of choline which is responsible for proper functioning of brain health.

It also has magnesium which is very helpful in making the nerve function very effective.

They are considered to be a very excellent source of iron. Iron is said to be very essential for the formation of red blood cells.

This is also very necessary for the physical growth, muscle metabolism, development of the brain and certain other health aspects of a person.

Chickpea is also found to be very rich in vitamin C which enables and enhances the body's capability of absorbing iron.

There are a lot of ways in which chickpea will help you to regulate your blood sugar and some of the ways are mentioned below:

It has a low glycemic index (GI) which is considered to be a marker for how quickly your blood sugar level rises after eating any kind of food.

It has fibers (leads to the absorption) and proteins which are very helpful in the regulation of blood sugar.

This is found to be very helpful in managing and staying afar from type 2 diabetes because of the regulation of blood sugar effects of this.

The proteins and fibers that are present in this chickpea will help you to stop the rise of blood sugar levels rapidly, after you have taken your food.

Because of this factor only, it is considered to be a very vital factor in the management of diabetes.

Apart from this, it has low glycemic index (GI) which makes it very appropriate for those people who are suffering from diabetes and it prevents rapid spikes in blood sugar levels.

This is found to be a great source of various kinds of nutrients which are responsible for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes (the nutrients also include B vitamins and magnesium).

The zinc portion of this, will also help you to manage the condition properly and in a better way.

This is considered to be a great source of various kinds of minerals like potassium and magnesium.

These minerals are responsible for supporting the health of the heart by keeping you away from high blood pressure (this is the most prominent reason that leads a person to heart problems).

Along with this, the soluble fiber that is present in chickpeas has been found to reduce the triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The increased levels of them may enhance the risks of heart diseases.

These chickpeas can be used for human consumption and for feeding animals as well and some of the most common uses of chickpeas are mentioned below:

When you provide this to your livestock or animals this will increase the rate of growth of the animal and will increase the production of milk as well.

This is commonly used in making a dish called hummus in which the chickpeas are crushed into paste.

You can also eat this by popping them in the form of popcorn.

You can also consume chickpeas by grounding them in the form of flour and making chapatis from it.

You can also make chilis, soups and stews from it and they are considered to be very healthy.

Side effects of chickpeas:

It is advised to not eat any kind of raw pulse which includes chickpeas as well because they are known to contain toxins and several other harmful substances which are very difficult to digest.

You should not include this legume in your diet in high quantities and should try to introduce them in your diet slowly.

You may encounter that the cooked chickpeas also contain very complex sugars that are said to be very hard to digest and this difficulty in indigestion will lead to suffering from discomfort and intestinal gas.

It has some fibers in it which may be responsible for the depletion of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.

You should be very careful if you are taking beta blockers which are responsible for the increase of potassium levels in the blood.

So, because of the above reasons you are suggested to discuss the amount of chickpeas to be eaten or consumed with your doctor as potassium could lead you to several health problems.

Allergies: Any person who is facing any kind of allergy because of any kind of legumes (which includes lupines, peas, lentils, etc) may also be allergic to chickpeas as well. So it is advised to people allergic to other legumes to not eat chickpeas as it can lead the person to face serious allergic reactions.

Cicer reticulatum is considered as the predecessor of this chickpea and it was of wild origin and at present they are grown in the southeast Turkey region and this is said to be the region where it was domesticated and can be said to be dated around 7000 BC.

The domestication of chickpeas started in the pre pottery Neolithic B sites in the Levant (which are namely Tell es Sultan or Jericho, Çayönü and Hacilar) and Turkey region.

These chickpeas started to spread in the Mediterranean region in the time period which was around 6000 BC and in India it came around 3000 BC.

This is usually grown in India and several other parts of the Indian subcontinent and apart from these areas it is also grown or cultivated in Iran, Mexico and Ethiopia.

The Desi chana that is grown can be of different colors varying from speckled, black or green.

This is just not a very essential or key ingredient in the preparation of some delicious dishes but it is very healthy and full of nutrients that may help you in the management of weight, regulation of the blood sugar and certain other medical benefits.