Is Chickpea Flour Healthy For You

Chickpeas are one of the most well-known legumes. But did you know that chickpea flour is also just as useful? Chickpea flour is a great substitute for egg and can even work as a gluten-free flour for gluten-free recipes! 

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) also known as garbanzo bean, gram, and Egyptian pea,  is a common ingredient found in many cuisines. There are three kinds of chickpeas that are commonly used. The first is the common chickpea that we are well accustomed to, the second is Kabuli which is used in Mediterranean cuisine, and the last being the desi chickpea which is smaller and brown in color, used in Indian cuisine.  

Yes, chickpeas can be used as a flour! Chickpea flour, also called Gram flour or besan,  is a staple in India and is commonly found in the pantry. Chickpea flour can be made from either raw or roasted chickpeas. 

Benefits Of Chickpea Flour (gram, Besan, Garbanzo Bean Flour)

It has been used for centuries in Asia and Europe. Chickpeas themselves have been apart of our diets for 7, 500 years (Bell, 2014). In Italy chickpea flour is used to make a farinata,  and in France it is used to make socca, both dishes are served as wedges as an accompaniment to a meal. 

Chickpea flour is renowned for being a great egg substitute, working in the same way as flaxseed and chia seed. If you are trying to avoid eggs because they’re an allergen or because you’re adhering to a vegan diet, chickpea flour should be your new pantry addition! 

Chickpea flour can easily be used as a thickener for sauces too, and it’s a much healthier alternative to corn starch. Just add a bit of chickpea flour while you’re reducing your sauce to give it a thicker consistency. 

Besan: Uses, Benefits, Side Effects By Dr. Rajeev Singh

Eating chickpeas provides 40% of our daily fiber intake. Fiber maintains the health of our bowels and has even been shown by some studies to decrease our risk of certain cancers! Our body is not capable of digesting fiber. This means insoluble fiber creates bulk in our intestines and helps to flush out toxins. While soluble fiber is absorbed in the intestine and attaches itself to “bad” cholesterol called LDL-C and excretes it. 

Chickpeas are also a powerful plant-based protein source. The average person needs to be consuming 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Therefore,  chickpea flour can provide a high source of protein for your daily needs.  

Many of the biological roles of Manganese in the human body remain a mystery. What we do know is that Manganese activates enzymes which are involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, cholesterol, and amino acids. When our body endogenously makes glucose, it requires a manganese containing enzyme called Pyruvate carboxylase (Manganese, 2019). 

Delicious Chickpea Flour Recipes (savory & Sweet)

Manganese also detoxifies ammonia in the body. Manganese is found in the enzyme Arginase, which is a part of the urea cycle (Manganese, 2019). The urea cycle detoxifies ammonia, a molecule produced from the metabolism of amino acids.  

The second mineral that chickpea flour is high in is magnesium. Magnesium is involved in bone formation, and it helps deposit calcium in our bones and is involved in activating Vitamin D in our kidneys 

One serving of chickpea flour contains 20g of protein, which is comparable to a 3 ounce serving of lean beef (Gunnars, 2018)! This makes chickpea flour an even better gluten-free flour substitute. 

How To Make Chickpea Flour

Chickpeas are a great source of complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates contain a mix of carbohydrates, such as dietary fiber and sugar. Therefore, they take longer to digest compared to simple carbs. Complex carbs slow the emptying of the stomach and make you feel full longer! 

Due to the high fiber content of chickpea flour and its effect on LDL-C, or bad cholesterol,  cholesterol is cleared from the body and this reduces the build-up of plaque in our arteries. In one study done on Type 1 Diabetic patients, a high fiber diet helped to lower the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease (Schoenaker et al. 2012).  

Chickpea flour has a low glycemic index, which indicates that it does not spike blood sugar, and instead causes small fluctuations. This decreases the risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes and even heart disease (Fuji et al. 2013). 

Chickpea Flour Recipes That Will Amaze You

Chickpea flour is high in the mineral magnesium, which is involved in supporting good bone health. A deficiency in magnesium increases the expression of parathyroid hormone, which is involved in releasing calcium from our bones (Castiglioni et al. 2013). 

Since we love Chickpea flour so much here at Good Food For Good, here are the top three plant-based chickpea flour recipes – a special shout out to our readers!  

This Golden Crêpe recipe from Turmeric Teas will be your perfect new breakfast ritual! Make it sweet or savoury by topping it with jam or chives. If your only contact with chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) has been adding them to a salads or occasionally eating hummus, then you’re missing out on some of the serious benefits of chickpea flour. This type of flour has all the same benefits of chickpea nutrition, since it’s simply made using one ingredient: roasted (or sometimes raw) ground chickpeas.

Best Benefits Of Gram Flour (besan) For Skin, Hair And Health

Garbanzo beans were one of the first cultivated crops by humans and are still one of the most popular legumes around the world today, so it’s not surprising that some cultures have used chickpeas to make a grain-free, versatile flour for centuries.

What is chickpea flour good for? Compared to wheat flour, it has a higher proportion of fiber, no gluten and a higher percentage of protein too. Whether you can tolerate eating grains or not, you’ll likely love the dense, filling quality of chickpea flour and be surprised just how many ways you can easily begin to use it.

 — is popular in many countries, especially in Asia and the Middle East. For example, it’s considered a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Bangladeshi cuisines.

Chickpea Flour: Everything You Need To Know

The health benefits of legume consumption have received rising interest from researchers, and their consumption and production extend worldwide. Among European countries, higher legume consumption is observed around the Mediterranean, (with per capita daily consumption between eight and 23 grams, compared to just five grams in Northern Europe and the U.S.), which has led researchers to believe that higher levels of fiber and phytonutrients from beans might be one reason why these populations have historically experienced great health.

Chickpeas have been a part of certain traditional diets for over 7, 500 years! They’re still one of the most widely grown and consumed legumes worldwide and, over the years, have often been linked with longevity, heart health and better weight management.

While it’s less popular in North America and somewhat common across Europe, luckily chickpea flour is becoming easier to find in the U.S.

Chickpea Flour Shortbread Cookies {grain Free, Vegan}

Eating more legumes is a great way to increase your intake of fiber. Because they’re such a high source of fiber, many studies show that eating more chickpeas, and pretty much all types of beans/legumes, can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer.

Garbanzo beans also offer a good array of vitamins and minerals and even some antioxidants, including phenolic compounds. They’re thought to have calcium and magnesium in an ideal ratio, a very high amount of folate — which is essential for a healthy pregnancy — a good dose of energizing B vitamins, like vitamin B6, and a decent amount of heart-healthy potassium.

They even contain some of the powerful antioxidant mineral selenium, as well as iron and plenty of plant-based protein. Gluten-free diets are also becoming more popular, so you’ll love the addition of this flour to your pantry if you’ve recently decided to go gluten-free.

Chickpea Flour Vs. All Purpose Flour: The Best Bake

As mentioned above, garbanzos are rich in dietary fiber. This makes chickpea flour an equally good source, especially when you use it in place of refined flours that have been stripped of nutrients and are very low in fiber.

Virtually every study that has looked at high-fiber diets has found some measure of health benefits, sometimes even striking ones. Some studies show that those who eat the most fiber have a lower risk of developing diabetes and colon cancer and are less likely to be obese and struggle with weight gain.

Chickpeas are rich in total and soluble fiber as well as in resistant starch, all of which contribute to the low glycemic index of this flour. The fiber in beans also makes them a heavyweight in terms of helping with digestion, preventing constipation and even aiding in weight loss since they fill you up.

Is Chickpea Flour More Nutritious Than Regular Flour?

Beans can help keep arteries clear from dangerous plaque buildup, maintain healthy blood pressure levels, and decrease the chances of having a heart attack or stroke. This is why studies have found an inverse association between insoluble fiber intake and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglycerides.

Chickpeas provide ample amounts of polyphenols, many of which are potent antioxidants that fight inflammation and oxidative stress. Intervention and prospective research published in the

Suggests that diets that include beans lower cholesterol naturally, favorably affect risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and reduce risk of ischemic heart disease and diabetes.

Benefits Of Besan/ Chickpea Flour/ Indian Gram Flour: A Superfood For Weight Loss And Much More

Eating garbanzos has been shown to lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including excess body weight, poor gut microbiome environment and low-grade inflammation.

Other studies show that having just one daily serving (about 3/4 cup cooked) of beans of any kind can help decrease chances of a heart attack and help balance cholesterol. This happens because beans’ fiber works to create a gel-like substance in the digestive system that binds with

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