What Are the Benefits of Soy Veggie Burgers? What Are the Benefits of Boiled Onions? Garbanzo Bean Health Benefits

by Natalie Stein Garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, are common in dishes from around the world. They have a similar nutrient content as other legumes, such as kidney, navy, great Northern and pinto beans. Garbanzo beans are nutritious choices that can have a variety of benefits as part of a balanced diet.

Increased Nutrient Content

Each cup of cooked garbanzo beans contains 12.5 grams of dietary fiber, or 50 percent of the daily value for this plant nutrient that helps regulate blood sugar levels and prevent constipation. Garbanzo beans are high in iron, which is necessary for making healthy red blood cells, and they provide folate, a B vitamin essential for preventing neural tube defects. They also have magnesium, which is necessary for normal muscle function, and zinc, which supports a strong immune system.

Control Blood Pressure

Garbanzo beans provide 477 milligrams of potassium per cup, or 11 percent of the daily value. Potassium is necessary for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, but the average American gets less than 60 percent of recommended amounts, the Department of Health and Human Services notes. High-sodium diets can cause high blood pressure, and a cup of garbanzo beans contains only 11 milligrams of sodium, or less than 4 percent of the recommended daily limit. A cup of garbanzo beans cooked with added salt has 399 milligrams sodium.

Lower Cholesterol Levels

Garbanzos can help lower your total and unhealthy LDL cholesterol levels, which reduces your risk for heart disease. Each cup of garbanzo beans provides 9 grams of protein, and selecting garbanzo beans as a protein source instead of animal-derived foods can be good for your cholesterol levels, too. Animal products, such as meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, contain cholesterol, while plant-based foods, such as garbanzo beans, are cholesterol-free. Fatty meats and poultry with the skin are high in cholesterol-raising saturated fat, while garbanzo beans have almost none.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends eating at least three cups per week of legumes. Roasted garbanzo beans are portable, easily stored snacks. You can add garbanzo beans to salads, such as green salads or three-bean salads with green beans and kidney beans. Another way to use them is to make hummus, or chickpea dip. Garbanzos are ingredients in many Moroccan stews and Indian curries, and you can put them in veggie burgers.
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