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| Chickpeas are delicious. |
Chickpeas boast an impressive nutritional profile.
They contain a moderate number of calories, providing 269 per cup (164 grams). Approximately 67% of these calories come from carbs, while the rest comes from protein and fat (
Chickpeas also provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as a decent amount of fiber and protein. A 1-cup (164-gram) serving of cooked chickpeas offers (
- Calories: 269
- Protein: 14.5 grams
- Fat: 4 grams
- Carbs: 45 grams
- Fiber: 12.5 grams
- Manganese: 74% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Folate (vitamin B9): 71% of the DV
- Copper: 64% of the DV
- Iron: 26% of the DV
- Zinc: 23% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 22% of the DV
- Magnesium: 19% of the DV
- Thiamine: 16% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV
- Selenium: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 10% of the DV
As you can see, this legume is a particularly good source of the mineral manganese and the B vitamin folate.
SUMMARYChickpeas contain a moderate amount of calories and several vitamins and minerals. They’re also a good source of fiber and protein.
I found the perfect setting for garbanzo beans - the vegetable soup I have been making and adjusting to my whims.
I have scratched off mustard flavoring and Tabasco. Mustard tastes strange with vegetables. The Tabasco set off a series of sneezes, in spite of my thorough stirring of the pot.
The best additive to vegetables is tomato paste - concentrated, tasty, inexpensive, and loaded with
Whether you cook from scratch very often or not, tomato paste is a convenient staple you'll want to keep in the pantry. It has similar nutritional value to fresh tomatoes, since it's simply the essence of tomatoes in concentrated form. Just a tablespoon of tomato paste is a good source of antioxidants and has 3 to 6 percent of your recommended daily value of iron, potassium and B vitamins.
Basics
Tomato paste is produced by simmering fresh tomatoes until they begin to break apart. Then they’re strained to remove the skin and seeds, and cooked for at least several hours, until their moisture evaporates and they become a thick paste. Salt and olive oil are typically added, but some commercial products add other seasonings and sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup. One 6-ounce can of tomato paste is enough to make a pot of chili or stew that yields six servings, so that’s 1 ounce per serving. Nutritional values provided are for 1 tablespoon, which is about half that amount.
Lycopene
Tomatoes are the best natural source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that belongs to the vitamin A family. It’s often in the news for its potential to prevent prostate cancer, but research has produced mixed results, according to a review in November 2011 in the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews." A study published in the October 2012 issue of the journal “Neurology” reported that men who ate more lycopene had a lower risk of strokes. Guidelines for daily consumption of lycopene haven’t been established, but eating about 4 to 8 milligrams daily is probably enough to produce health benefits. You’ll get 4.6 milligrams of lycopene in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is best known as an antioxidant, but it also produces neurotransmitters and collagen, which supports your skin and ligaments. Its antioxidant abilities prevent damage from free radicals throughout your body, including providing antioxidant protection to proteins and fats in your brain. Vitamin C in your skin helps limit damage from exposure to the sun. Men should get 90 milligrams of vitamin C in their daily diet, while women need 75 milligrams. The daily intake for pregnant women increases to 80 milligrams. Anyone who smokes needs an extra 35 milligrams each day. One tablespoon of tomato paste has 3.5 milligrams of vitamin C.
Joel Fuhrman is right - by eating good foods when I am hungry, I develop a taste for them instead of nurturing a child-like revulsion to anything lacking sugars, fats, and useless carbos.
