Is Chickpeas Good For Diabetes?

Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are considered to be healthy beans to add more vital nutrients and protein to your diet. They are also the rich sources of iron, fiber, zinc, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, thiamine, folate, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. These beans are also healthy to control your risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as blood sugar after having meals.

Let’s find the answer “Can diabetics Eat Chickpeas?”

Carbohydrates

Chickpeas contain around 27% carbohydrates. In a 1-cup serving, chickpeas have 4.3g of fat, 14.5g of protein, and 45g of carbohydrates. Despite the fact that 7.9g of carbohydrates come from natural sugars, 12.5g of carbohydrates are dietary fiber, which help control its effect on your blood sugar levels.

When it comes to count carbohydrates, deduct the fiber content off the total amount of carbohydrates, as fiber is not digested and it doesn’t raise blood glucose, leaving you with only 32.5g of carbohydrates. For a diabetic, only 15g of carbohydrate is recommended in one serving. So, 1 cup of chickpeas is similar to two servings for diabetics. You can visit https://diabetesselfcaring.com/exploring-the-benefits-of-advanced-technology-cataract-surgery to explore the benefits of advanced technology cataract surgery.

Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is used to measure the effect of foods rich in carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. High-GI foods may lead to high spikes of blood glucose after having them, while lower-GI foods lead less impact on blood glucose levels after having meals. The chickpeas fall in the group of low-GI foods, with GI level of 28.

Blood Glucose Level after Meals

Having a chickpeas-based meal instead of wheat may control the blood glucose level and keeps it lower at around 30 to 60 minutes after having meals, along with lower insulin in blood around 120 minutes after having meals, as per a study in March 2004 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is possibly because it takes longer time to digest than wheat.

Controls Appetite

Chickpeas are also known to control your appetite. Fiber-rich foods cannot be chewed quickly. By chewing more, your brain assumes that you are full and you stop eating soon and stop overeating. According to the MayoClinic, fiber makes you feel fuller for several hours and meals seem larger than it is. You can also avoid unhealthy snack cravings between meals with high GI as it will raise blood sugar in the body.

Controls Risk of Diabetes

In a research on rats, it was found that chickpeas are helpful in controlling risk of diabetes. Rats ate chickpeas and fat-rich diet. They didn’t have high insulin and blood glucose levels after meals at the rats eating high fat meals alone, and they had better insulin control, as per the study in October 2007 and published in British Journal of Nutrition. To figure out whether it is also helpful for people who eat chickpeas, more research is yet to be done.

How to Consume Chickpeas?

These beans are very versatile. You may add them as salad toppings or as rice and pasta dishes for added protein. You may roast them up with garlic salt and some olive oil, or they can be pureed in hummus. Keep in mind that dried chickpeas are healthier than canned ones.

Hence, there are certain risks can be associated with the consumption of chickpeas for diabetes patients. An expert advice is therefore recommended.