Chickpeas - benefits and harm to the health of the body

Chickpea is a bean plant found in Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Chickpeas are often called Turkish, lamb or Volozh peas; in the East, chickpeas are commonly called Nohut. Today, chickpeas are often used to prepare first and second courses, it is a great appetizer, salad component and even dessert. From chickpeas you can make a drink, an analogue of ancient coffee, the recipe of which we will tell you a little later. In the meantime, let's try to figure out the useful and harmful properties of this overseas pea.

Useful properties of chickpeas

As soon as chickpeas appeared on the shelves of Russian stores, he firmly took his rightful place, more and more crowding out ordinary Russian peas. This is not surprising, chickpeas contain amino acids, minerals, fats, fiber and vitamins. And most importantly, in such peas there is a lot of protein, which is perfectly absorbed and easily replaces meat products. This means that chickpeas must be in the diet of vegetarians. In addition, chickpeas have many medicinal properties.

Chickpea has a substance called methionine, which is included in many drugs to support liver function. Chickpeas prevent the buildup of fat on the liver.

Turkish peas perfectly affect the state of blood vessels, reduce blood cholesterol.

A large amount of calcium and phosphorus improves the condition of bone tissue. Regular consumption of chickpeas protects against osteoporosis, improves the condition of nails, teeth and hair.

There are a lot of potassium and magnesium in chickpeas, which are so useful for the work of the heart.

A large amount of vitamin C allows the use of peas, as one of the best means to strengthen immunity.

Chickpea contains a large amount of fiber. Dietary fibers absorb toxins and wastes, like a brush cleans the intestines from stagnant fecal stones. Regular consumption of chickpeas is an excellent prevention of constipation.

Chickpea is very useful against allergies, and its external use and internal use are effective. If you want to remove an allergic reaction, you just need to eat a handful of chickpeas. And from ground pea flour make ointments effective against rashes, lichen and burns.

Turkish peas are very good for eye health. If you have chickpeas at least 2-3 times a week, you will be able to maintain your visual acuity until old age, to protect yourself from the development of glaucoma and cataracts. Chickpea flour helps normalize eye pressure.

Peas are very beneficial for women's health, especially during pregnancy. Be sure to add chickpeas to your diet when carrying a child - this will help maintain hemoglobin at the proper level.

A large amount of manganese reduces the permeability of nerve fibers, makes a person more balanced and stress resistant.

Chickpea is a healthy, low-calorie protein snack. Dried peas are also very tasty - it pleasantly crunches on the teeth, is able to quickly and permanently satisfy hunger. If you want to lose weight, be sure to include chickpeas in your diet.

Some are afraid to eat chickpeas, because these are beans, which often cause gas formation and flatulence. However, chickpeas are quite soft and delicate in this regard. Turkish peas will not cause you strong boiling in the intestines and bloating, like beans or mung bean. To completely suppress the formation of gases, chickpeas need to be cooked with seasonings that have a carminative effect. These are caraway seeds, dill seeds, coriander, rosemary, turmeric, etc. But do not think that chickpeas are a harmless and simple product. Like many beans, chickpeas have a number of contraindications.

Who should not eat chickpeas

If you have a weak intestine, prone to flatulence, you should still refuse to use chickpeas. Peas are gradually introduced into the diet of older people, because their intestinal muscles weaken over the years. Also, chickpeas should not be used by lactating women if the child is younger than four months old. In this case, chickpeas can enhance the course of infant colic, the child will suffer from a storm in the stomach. Turkish peas can be quite aggressive with the urinary system. If you have a bladder disease, the use of such a product should be limited. Acute kidney disease, gout, thrombophlebitis, gastritis - all this is a contraindication for eating chickpeas, because the product is considered quite heavy, it enhances the production of urea. In addition, there is such a thing as "individual intolerance." If you have never eaten chickpeas before, start tasting the product in small portions.

How to eat chickpeas

Chickpeas in cooking are widely used, peas are eaten in various forms. Here are some popular ways to cook and eat it.

1. Coffee. A few centuries ago, delicious and aromatic coffee was made from chickpeas. The peas were dried in a pan, and then grinded, the powder was brewed like coffee. The drink had a characteristic nutty smell and taste, which gave it a special originality.
2. Boiled chickpeas. Before cooking, peas should be soaked for 8-12 hours. If you need to cook chickpeas faster, you can add a spoonful of baking soda to the water. This not only speeds up the cooking process, but also activates the breakdown of carbohydrates, which eliminates the increased gas formation in the intestine. Boiled chickpeas are added as an ingredient to salads; in the East, no festive and wedding pilaf is complete without chickpeas.
3. Sprouted chickpeas. Chickpea sprouts are a pure protein, very healthy and easily digestible. To germinate chickpeas, the beans should be washed and held in water for about 10 hours. Then the beans need to be washed again, lowered into a container with a small amount of water at the bottom, previously wrapped in wet gauze. After this, you need to rinse the peas every 6-8 hours so that it does not sour. As soon as the first sprouts hatch, you need to open the cheesecloth and put the dishes in the refrigerator. Make sure that the chickpeas do not sour or dry, periodically carefully rinse it. When the sprouts reach 4-5 cm, they can be eaten separately or with beans. Mix the sprouted chickpeas with green onions and cucumbers, season with lemon juice and oil. It will turn out a very tasty and nutritious salad.
4. Chickpea flour. The peculiarity of this product is that the flour does not contain gluten. This is very important for people with celiac disease - intolerance to gluten products. Cooking flour is not difficult - the beans are dried and ground. This product makes very tasty and lush bread, chickpea flour is added to sauces and soups to thicken dishes, it is used to make pancakes, pancakes and many other goodies.
5. Salty chickpeas. A modern vision of chickpeas made it possible to use beans as a delicious beer snack. The chickpeas are soaked in highly salt water, and then dried and fried in a pan or placed in the oven. The output is delicious, crispy, salty balls that are great for beer. And if you soak chickpeas in sweet water, you get delicious dessert balls that can decorate cakes.
6. Hummus. We can say that hummus is one of the most common and well-known chickpea dishes. Cooking hummus is not difficult. To do this, the beans are pre-soaked in hot water for a day, so that they become absolutely soft. Next, peas should be crushed with a mortar or chopped in a blender. In the resulting mass add various spices and spices. Usually it is olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sesame paste, paprika. Each family makes hummus in its own way, taking into account its tastes and preferences.Cooked pasta is eaten with bread, chips, pita bread, pita, etc.

Chickpea is an ideal product that goes well with meat, fish, poultry, vegetables. From chickpeas they prepare cereals, soups, pastries, cutlets, snacks, desserts, salads - you can list endlessly! Take advantage of amazing recipes to treat yourself and your loved ones not only with a delicious, but also incredibly healthy dish.

In some countries, chickpeas are an integral part of your daily diet, such as India or Italy. It is a rich source of dietary fiber and protein. Buy chickpeas, include it in your diet at least once a week, and very soon you will be surprised to notice that the family began to get sick much less!

Video: the benefits and harms of Turkish peas