What is Kabuli chana?
Chickpea, the Indian name; chana or Kabuli chana is also commonly known as chole in India. These all are just different names of this all-time favourite delicacy that we have loved eating since childhood. This is not it for the list of alternate names of Kabuli chana. Within India itself, it has many names. It is called Kondaikadali in Tamil, Kadale in Kannada, Kadala in Malayalam, Senagalu in Telugu, Bengal gram called garbanzo and even Egyptian pea in some parts of the country.
Children, elderly, middle-aged people, you will not find an age cohort that is not an absolute fan of chickpeas in India. Thus, in India, it needs no introduction. Indian agriculture is one of the major producers of it in the world but its origins date back to the 13th century. Its more popular name throughout the world, Chickpea is derived from the French word chiche and cicer. It is today used in many favourite dishes throughout the world today.
Not only is Kabuli chana very tasty in all the different flavours and variants it is prepared in, but it is also super healthy too. It is such a versatile food item that can be consumed. Not just taste, this beloved food item serves as an important and even substantial share of agriculture in India. You would be shocked but India is literally producing enough chickpeas every year to serve a share of around 60-70% in the world.
It comes with its share of nutrition and benefits for our health too. A food item that is so tasty and at the same time so nutritious as well, what more could you ask for in your food items?! Let us dive deep into these benefits to explore how good food can literally mean a good and healthy life for you!
Health benefits of Kabuli chana
We often come across how healthy and delicious it is. But what is it about Kabuli chana that makes it so rich in nutrition and good for our health? Chickpeas is a complex carbohydrate apart from being a legume that consists of both soluble as well as insoluble fibres. Let us explore and discuss in detail, one by one, each of these nutritional values and health benefits of Kabuli chana:
- Works to kill those elevated cholesterol levels: As we just mentioned above, Chickpeas is high on the soluble fibre side. This helps in the prevention of absorption of excessive bile juices into our bodies. Thus, it helps in managing as well as reducing the LDL cholesterol levels in our body along with the total quantity of triglycerides. Research has even shown Kabuli chana to have the kind of dietary fibre that is much more effective, helpful and even superior compared to most of the other legumes.
- A very rich source of protein: Being a legume, Chickpeas is one of the most important and amazing sources of protein. They are even more important for the people who have a vegetarian way of life. These rich sources of protein are to the rescue whenever you want great protein in your vegetarian diet. You ask why? Studies have shown that for every 100 grams of Kabuli chana, there are 11 grams of protein. Naturally, ample protein will in turn provide better health and upkeep of your hair and nails, while giving your stronger bones and ligaments. It also helps balance and manage biochemical reactions in your body and is an excellent source of protein for aiding the repair of your tissues.
- Helps you get started on your weight loss: As we mentioned above, Kabuli chana is a very rich source of fibre. Studies have revealed how useful fibre richness is in reducing hunger as well as facilitating weight loss. Since it is a very rich source of soluble and insoluble fibre, it helps with excellent bile secretion and prevents constipation, all of which aid in digestion.
- Keeps your heart young and healthy: Kabuli chana is a very rich source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are great for your health as they help keep your blood vessels clean and healthy in the long run. Apart from this, It is very rich in various other minerals like magnesium that prevent coagulation of blood or the formation of blood clots. All of these help in healthy and seamless blood circulation from your heart.
- Gives you stronger and healthier bones and joints: Kabuli chana is a very rich source of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals are crucial to making your joints, bones and ligaments much stronger and better by improving bone density. See, Chickpeas is such a wonderful legume that it even helps treat medical conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis and other ailments that can be troubling to an individual in the long run. To make matters even better, Chickpeas is power-packed with iron which really helps boost collagen much better.
- A great aid to your gut and digestion: No matter how many times we repeat the presence of a vast amount of fibre in Kabuli chana, it can never be enough. The presence of soluble and insoluble fibres help add bulk which is excellent in the prevention and curation of constipation. This is very helpful as it takes off a load of pressure from your intestines as well. In fact, Ayurveda has even suggested consuming around 4-5 spoons of chickpeas to keep various digestive disorders at bay.
- Better brain functions all the way: As we have mentioned before as well, Chickpeas is completely power-packed with essential minerals and vitamins. Some of the important ones are vitamin B6 (also known as pyridoxine) and choline which provides splendid health and wellness. They do so by making the transmission of signals from the brain while receiving or sending them to the brain, completely seamless. It also helps amazingly in augmenting the memory of individuals, their mood as well as focus and concentration levels. Apart from these, another important mineral like selenium in Kabuli chana is an excellent source of antioxidants. It helps in flushing numerous toxins outside your system, freeing your system of any harmful chemicals. It also helps to oxidise healthy brain cells in your nervous system while preventing neuro-related chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Helps in the treatment of all fungal infections: Kabuli chana possesses anti-fungal properties and can work wonderfully as an excellent fungus treatment remedy. Fungal infections like those caused by ringworms or any other sources can be really very itchy and troubling for your skin. Fungal infections can occur anywhere on your skin: skin, scalp, groin to bring down fungal infections like ringworm that can cause severe itchiness on the skin. A natural remedy to use chickpeas to treat fungal infections is having them after soaking them overnight followed by boiling them without salt.
- Shooing away dandruff: Dandruff is not unknown to many of us. In fact, some of us have tried getting rid of it some time or the other at least once in our lives. Applying a thin paste of black chana flour with water to your scalp is an excellent remedy to treat dandruff. All you need to do is to put it on as a thin layer and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Post washing you’ll see not only a drastic reduction in dandruff but you’ll also see how shiny your hair becomes! A two in one mantra indeed!
- Helps to control and bring down inflammation: Inflammation is certainly a troubling condition many people suffer from. It need not be triggered by any ailments in particular as inflammation is a chronic disorder. Even something like stress can trigger it. As we have already discussed how Kabuli chana can help boost your metabolism, this boost to metabolism can in fact bring down inflammation. This is primarily because of the minerals present in chickpeas, which makes it a great mineral storehouse. Some of those vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. Other minerals are magnesium, selenium, and iron to name a few that help dial down inflammation and even control it well enough to keep it at bay.
- A great way for blood sugar levels regulation: Blood sugar levels if present in an unregulated quantity can be really harmful to us. Chickpeas is a rich source of complex carbs. You ask how’s that relevant here? Complex carbs take longer to digest and the presence of soluble fibres present in Kabuli chana help regulate how and in what quantities are blood sugars absorbed into our skin. The ideal glycemic index of chickpeas at 28 makes it even more helpful in this regard by preventing any sudden spikes in blood sugar. It also helps in dealing with hunger by keeping us satiated for a long time, again helping to maintain a healthy balance of blood sugar levels.
- An excellent and rich source of iron: Kabuli chana is a very rich source of iron, as we have mentioned earlier as well. Thus, it goes without saying that it is very good in monitoring and maintaining proper haemoglobin levels in our blood. This then helps in the proper and adequate transportation of oxygen to different organ systems in our body. Apart from this, patients dealing with conditions caused by lack of iron like anaemia are also suggested to consume chickpeas often. Have it by boiling or simply roasting them, but don’t skip on the must-have that chickpeas is for your diet.
- Aids hair fall by arresting it: Kabuli Chana is a rich source of various essential minerals like zinc, Vitamin B6, etc. all of which are crucial for healthy and strong hair. This promotes healthy and stronger hair by stopping hair fall altogether. The protein content is essential to strengthening the proteins present in hair follicles.
- Effective treatment for jaundice: such a powerful and effective protein powerhouse that chickpeas is (essentially 11g per 100 g), it is an excellent remedy that can come to the rescue of jaundice patients. The cause of jaundice is our liver’s inability to be able to process blood. This primarily happens either due to some kind of infection or a dip in the hepatic functions of the body. Traditional Indian medicine suggests eating soaked black chickpeas with jaggery to cure jaundice. It is a cure because it enables us to restore the regular functioning of our liver,i.e, back to the optimal level. It facilitates flushing out toxins while nourishing the tissues to make our liver healthy and fully functional again.
- Great way to rejuvenate your skin: Kabuli chana is a rich source of alkaline minerals. As alkaline minerals are rich in properties that facilitate deep and thorough cleansing of our pores. Apart from this, it also facilitates removing any excess oil or dead skin cells to give you healthy, supple and hence, glowing skin. Apart from this, Chickpeas helps in the rejuvenation of your skin by completely removing all the tanning when applied to the face or skin in form of a mask. It provides an instant glow to your skin.
Health reasons that will perfectly convince you to go for Chickpeas
1. Go Gluten-Free For A Health Spree: Many people today identify themselves as gluten intolerant or vegans. Kabuli chana is an excellent source of protein for people in both gluten intolerant and vegan categories. To substitute meat for such a high level of protein is a tough task indeed. It’s not impossible though and that’s what chickpeas helps you with! You can easily use it as a substitute and savour the flavours of good food with it.
2. A Rich Source Of Nutrients: As we discussed in the benefits of Kabuli chana, they are a rich source of various minerals and vitamins. Call them a storehouse of nutrients if you like. Some of them are calcium, folic acid, fibre, and phosphorus to name a few. These make it a wonderful and healthy source of nutrients that your diet may be lacking.
3. Regulate Those Highly Fluctuating Cholesterol Levels: We did discuss this as one of the benefits of chickpeas. Including it in your diet can dramatically reduce the bad cholesterol levels in your body, otherwise referred to as LDL.
4. And Aid For Weight Loss And Diabetes: Kabuli chana being low in fat content while being a rich source of fibre can help with digestion as it leaves you feeling full for a longer time. It can also help maintain healthy sugar levels.
Why organic Kabuli chana?
The benefits of Kabuli chana are endless. However, if I told you that it is possible to get even more of these by switching to organic type, would you believe me?
- This is especially true because the organic alternatives are even richer in the content of antioxidants.
- What’s more, is that they contain no harmful chemicals or pesticides due to the way they are cultivated.
- They are even better from the environmental point of view as excess chemicals often wash off into soil and water, polluting them.
- Also, due to no chemicals, they are not carcinogenic, or cancer-causing in nature.
- Organic Kabuli chana is sold directly from farmers to retailers mostly, hence, profiting the farmers and eliminating the need for middlemen.
- Lastly, since no environmental damages are incurred, it boosts the biodiversity of the area too.
With all these health and other benefits, of course, you must be tempted to try it out! Try organic Kabuli Chana with a promise of great health and savour the taste of organic goodness. Choose from great brands that are specially curated for your health and well-being, only at Wellness County!