If you think that eating Dals and Eggs is enough for protein, then you need to think twice because chickpeas would also be a good alternative of protein. There are so many health benefits of black chickpeas (Kala Chana) you can enjoy by adding it in your dish. Mainly black chickpeas are good for all stomach disorders and digestive problems. This is the main reason why the water collected from boiling black peas is highly nutritious for children suffering from Colic pains.
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Health Benefits of Kala Chana (Black Chickpeas)
Benefits of Black Chickpeas are immense and can help you to stay healthier naturally. Chick pea Seeds are very nutritious and apart from providing the essential elements it also helps in clearing the digestive tract. It also relieves complains of bloating and belching if consumed regularly and contains enough roughage to smoothen the excretory cycle of the body.
In case of a stomach infection, eating Kala Chana is an effective in retaining the nutrition of the body and stopping loose motions and getting rid of diarrhea!
The other family members of this protein and roughage rich family are White Chana, Kabuli Chana and Legumes like Rajma and Choley. Among all the other types, the Black chickpeas (Kala Chana) are the most easily digested.
How Black Chickpeas are Good for the Skin?
Presence of some nutrients like folates, fiber, protein, carbohydrates, copper, iron and phosphorus make black chickpeas able to cure some of the common skin diseases such as;
- Treats White Spots (Leucoderma)
- Helps you to Get Rid of Ringworm Infection
- Makes your Skin Glowing
- Removes Pimple Scars
- Protects your Skin from Sunburn
- Cures Skin Inflammation
Why Do You need to Add Black Chickpeas in your Diet?
Chickpeas are low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in healthy vitamins and minerals. 2 or 3 tbs can provide the same nutritional value as 5 portions of fruits and veggies. Thus, you should add these legumes to your diet to avail all the benefits that black chickpeas offer.
3 Natural benefits of Black Chickpeas
1. Digestive Tract Support
Even though most people know legumes as fibers, they don’t know that the fibers in the black chickpeas are very useful in aiding digestive tract function. The first thing you should note is the amount – black chickpeas have about 12.5 grams of fiber for one cup which is 50% of the daily value.
Apart from its large amount, about 70% of the fiber is insoluble. Until it gets to the large intestine or the colon, the insoluble fibers pass all through the digestive tract without changing its form. The bacteria in the large intestine help the breakdown of the insoluble fibers from the black chickpeas into short-chain fatty acids like butyric acid, propionic acid, and acetic acid.
These short-chain fatty acids will then get absorbed by the cells that line your colon wall which can be used by the cells as energy. The most preferred source of energy is butyric acid. So, it means that with the extra energy provided from the insoluble fiber in the chickpeas, our colon cells will remain healthy and active.
The risk of having problems such as colon cancer within the colon will be reduced because of the healthier colon cell function.
2. Unique Supply of Antioxidants
A lot of our body systems like the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, and our lungs are prone to oxidative stress and damage by reactive oxygen molecules. A large amount of antioxidant nutrients is needed for the support of the body systems and luckily for us, black chickpeas are quite amazing in the aspect of antioxidant composition.
They contain little but valuable amounts of important antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Beta-carotene. Chickpeas also have more concentrated amounts of antioxidant phytonutrients. Some of these phytonutrients are the flavonoids like kaempferol, phenolic acids, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid (which can be found at the inner portion of the beans), and myricetin (which is usually at the outer part of the beans).
Chickpeas can also contain a large number of anthocyanins, petunidin, cyanidin, and delphinidin depending on the color of the outer layer and the type of bean you find.
You should also know that black chickpeas contain a lot of manganese which is the main antioxidant found in mitochondria – an energy-producing organelle found in most cells. Just one cup of chickpeas can give you almost 85% of the Daily Value (DV) for this main antioxidant.
A lot of studies done on animals and humans are showing the ability of chickpeas to decrease the risk of heart diseases. This ability is likely due to the antioxidant property of this legume
3. Decreased Cardiovascular Risks
Even though black chickpeas hadn’t been singled out from the other beans in the studies, it is usually almost included in the list of legumes when determining their relationship to cardiovascular disease in diet researches.
Comprehensive epidemiologic studies have been giving us a lot of insights into the possible benefits of chickpeas to the heart and a handful of indications show that they are exceptional in this area. As little as ¾ cup of chickpeas will be beneficial in reducing your LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, and total cholesterol in about a month.
The boost in cardiovascular health will probably come from different aspects of the chickpeas and their nutrients. Around 1/3 of the fiber in the legume is soluble fiber and this type is more associated with the support of the cardiovascular system.
Like we mentioned before, black chickpeas contain different antioxidants and they are beneficial to blood vessel walls and even the blood. You might want to assume that black chickpeas are fatty foods because it contains a good amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) but it’s not.
Alpha-linolenic acid is the body’s omega-3 fatty acid where all other omega-3 fatty acids are produced. In every cup of chickpeas, there are about 70-80 milligrams of alpha-linolenic acid and 2 grams of additional polyunsaturated fatty acids. The risk of coronary disease which is another type of cardiovascular disease will also be reduced if you take chickpeas daily
Are black chickpeas good for weight loss?
The short answer to the question is yes. They aid weight loss because they increase the chances of satiety and decreasing caloric intake.
A lot of studies have been showing a positive relationship between black chickpeas and weight loss. The best study you will most likely be interested in is the study that measured food satiety. The term food satiety is used in science to describe our satisfaction from eating food.
It is the feeling the leaves us full and satisfied, eliminating our sense of hunger and even appetite. In recent studies, it was discovered that the participants ate fewer snacks and little calories overall when their food is supplemented with black chickpeas in their daily diet. Lots of reports of greater food satiety with experiences of better food satisfaction and low appetite were also made.
We look forward to some large-scale studies in this area, and we expect to see a clear role being carved out for black chickpeas in terms of weight loss and weight management. Along with their unusual combination of protein and fiber and their great ability to stabilize digestion, black chickpeas also stand out as a food that is moderate in terms of calories.
At approximately 270 calories per cup, we’re talking about 10-15% of daily calories. In return for this moderate calorie cost, we get 50% of the DV for fiber and 29% of the DV for protein. Those nutrient amounts are great trade-offs for anyone struggling with weight loss or weight management.
Is it OK to eat black chickpeas every day?
Of course, you can eat black chickpeas every day, but just make sure you eat them in moderate amounts as almost anything eaten in excess will end up causing issues. Daily consumption of around 3/4 cup of chickpeas will help to reduce total cholesterol triglycerides. The carbohydrates in chickpeas are digested slowly which will eventually reduce the blood sugar levels. All these will help to boost insulin resistance thereby reducing the chances of getting type-2 diabetes.
It is suggested that one serving of beans, peas, chickpeas i.e., gram or lentils be taken every day to improve and manage your weight. With chickpeas in your diet, especially the boiled ones, it will make you fuller for an extended period and also control your weight without going on a strict and tiring diet.
Chickpeas also have essential minerals, plant-based protein, and vitamins, especially the freshly boiled ones. The consumption of these nutrients will help to improve your digestion for the day as well as your muscle-building. It also helps in creating hemoglobin and important antibodies.
Can we eat raw black chickpeas?
The simple answer is no! You shouldn’t eat any chickpeas or any pulses raw. You may want to ask why. It is because they contain toxins and substances which are quite dangerous for the body and difficult to digest.
They contain a compound called Phytohaemagglutinin which can also be found in various kinds of beans like red kidney beans, white kidney beans, and even broad beans. The compound is a toxin that can cause gastroenteritis. Phytohaemagglutinin is a lectin that is common in legumes and which is usually toxic at high levels. Other adverse effects of consuming the lectin include immune reactions and nutritional deficiencies.
Poisoning can arise from eating as little as five raw beans and symptoms can start within three hours. It can start with nausea, followed by vomiting which can be severe, and then diarrhea. People usually recover from its effects with 4-5 hours, without any drugs or medical intervention, depending on the body system. You should also note that toxicity can be increased by five times if your beans are undercooked, so make sure you cook it well.
The high amount of toxins can be sufficiently reduced to safe levels by cooking them correctly either by boiling the unsoaked beans for at least 30 minutes and pre-soaked beans, 15 minutes. The toxins will not be destroyed if you cook the beans slowly especially though crackpots (which are pots normally used for cooking beans). Canned beans don’t give us those effects because they go through a pressurized canning process that makes them safe for use to eat.
The FDA also recommends that you soak your beans for five hours to remove any remaining toxins and then throw the water out.
How do you eat black chickpeas?
Before you must even think of eating them, you must wash your black chickpeas and spread them on a cooking surface or a light-colored surface (or platform) so that you can check and remove any debris, stones, or damaged beans. When you are done, put them in a strainer and rinse them very well under running water.
To reduce the time required to cook them and also make them easier to digest, the black chickpeas should be pre-soaked. You can do this using any of the two methods. For each of the methods, start by putting the chickpeas in a saucepan and then add 2 or 3 cups of water for every cup of black chickpea.
For the first method, you will need to first boil the beans for about two minutes. Allow it to stand for two hours after taking the saucepan from the heat covering it. For the second method, you just need to soak the chickpeas in water for a particular period.
According to studies that we have seen about black chickpeas, we will recommend that you soak them for at least 4 hours to get rid of inactivated toxins that are harmful to the body such as lectins. There will also be a reduction in the beans’ raffinose-type oligosaccharides which will eventually reduce the possibility of having problems like excessive flatulence when you eat the black chickpeas.
Also, some of the enzymes that are present in the beans will become activated and also help to convert some of the phytic acid presents. After the phytic acid gets converted to another substance, it will reduce the chances of it binding to other substances like nutrients which will increase the absorption of more nutrients.
Pre-soaking your black chickpeas will definitely reduce the time needed for cooking by about 25% if you soaked it for at least 4 hours. The reduced cooking time will reduce the number of water-soluble nutrients lost due to less exposure to water and heat. 4 hours seems to be the right amount of time for soaking before the changes we highlighted above can occur.
You do not need to worry about harmful effects if you accidentally soaked your chickpeas for a long period. So it means you can soak it up overnight without worrying and then cook it in the morning. If you want to soak it overnight, we will advise you to place the chickpeas in an inactivated pan filled with water in the refrigerator. After soaking (regardless of the method you used, you can remove any stuff in the water, drain it and then rinse it again in clean water.
For the last step for you to eat the black chickpeas, you will have to ferment the legumes. This step is a bit difficult to do especially if you don’t have any experience in fermenting. Make sure you ask someone with experience to help you with it if you have little experience here. You can then cook them in curry or any style you want.
Black chickpeas nutrition facts
Knowing the nutrition facts will make you opt for chickpeas as it is power-packed with essential nutrients and minerals required for the body. Chickpeas are one of the popular dishes in some places like India which is eaten either as a side dish or curry. Some people even combine it with bread.
They contain a good amount of calories, giving us 46 calories for every 1-ounce or 28 grams of serving. Most of the calories are from carbohydrates while the rest of the calories is from protein and a little is from fats. It also has various types of vitamins and minerals as well as a sufficient amount of protein and fiber.
Like other legumes, you might know, black chickpea is high in crucial micronutrients mainly iron. It is quite useful for active people who are involved in plant-based diets and for growing children. It also provides nutrients like folic acid, iron, potassium, and zinc which are found in animals.
A 1-ounce (28 grams) serving gives the following nutrients: 46 calories, 8 grams of carbs 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 12% of the RDI for folate, 4% of the RDI for iron, 5% of the RDI for phosphorus, 5% of the RDI for copper, and 14% of the RDI for manganese.
Both the outer layer (seed coat) and the inner portion (cotyledon) of the black chickpeas contain a lot of phytonutrients. There is a lot of flavonoids concentrates in the outer coat like myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. The inner part of the beans is usually rich in ferulic acid, vanillic acid, and cafeic acid.
All these phytonutrients with weird names act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. They are also a good source of protein, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and even dietary fiber. The fibers in black chickpeas are mostly insoluble and are usually converted to short-chain fatty acids in the body.
Benefits of eating soaked Kala Chana in the morning
One of the benefits you will get from eating soaked Kala chana in the morning is a boost in energy for almost half of the day. Nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants also help to stabilize the impact of sugar on the digestive system. You will also feel more filled compared to when you take cereal, thereby increasing your mental energy for longer. It will also reduce your emotional dependence on food.
Kala chana also helps to control our sugar levels by helping us stabilize the flow of our food through the digestive tract. It also aids the slow breakdown of food. This will thereby cause a better regulation of sugar release in the body. In some studies conducted on animals, consumption of Kala chana resulted in the control of insulin release, and overall insulin function.
They are also quite inexpensive and easy to add to our breakfast. In the long run, this will help you to save a reasonable amount of cash while reaping a lot of health benefits. Black chickpeas should be one of the legumes you should consider adding to your diets due to their nutritional benefit.
Make sure you cook them properly to reduce and deactivate the toxins in them. Black chickpeas will eventually aid your digestion and support your cardiovascular system. All these will boost your overall immunity and your wellbeing whilst making you stronger. You will get the required energy and clarity of mind to carry out your daily activities effectively.
Did You Know?
Black chickpeas (Kala Chana) are very hard in its structure and needs to be pressure steamed before being cooked. Alternatively, you may also soak the required quantity in water overnight to soften them a bit. But what do you do if you have to cook them immediately at a short notice? Just add half a teaspoon of baking soda to it and see it soften in a matter of minutes in pressure steam!
Hope you guys find multiple reasons why you should add black chickpeas in your diet and what benefits you can gain from this nutritious grain.
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