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Health Benefits of Chickpeas

These tiny, yet powerful legumes are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein that will surely invigorate your body’s overall function and resistance against infections! Torn between garbanzos and chickpeas? No need to pit them with each other because both are healthy; it’s just a matter of which flavor, color, and texture fit your palate or dish.

Let’s explore the health benefits of chickpeas!

Controls Blood Sugar Levels

Chickpeas are regarded as a healthy alternative to wheat or other high-gluten grains. Chickpeas have a high fiber content and can help you keep blood sugar and insulin levels steady after meals. Consuming chickpeas in place of wheat can also lead to lower postprandial (after meal) blood glucose (sugar) levels

Improve Heart Health

Chickpeas are an excellent source of potassium, fiber, and vitamins C and B6. They help lower the total cholesterol in the blood, reducing heart disease risk. Fiber also assists in plaque removal from arteries, improving heart health. This benefits the whole body.

Source of Protein

Chickpeas are a great source of protein as 1 cup of chickpeas contains 15 grams of protein.

Reduces fine lines

Chickpeas are an excellent source of manganese and a good source of B vitamins, which can help your skin in various ways, especially in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

You can use chickpeas as a face mask by simply mixing chickpea paste with turmeric. Leave it on your face for 15 minutes and rinse with cold water afterward. This can help brighten your face and helps reduce age spots.

Forged with Fiber

You can generate 6 grams of your 24% daily fiber needs in half a can of chickpeas and that already includes both soluble and insoluble fiber! Soluble fiber promotes good gut bacteria while the insoluble create soft stool which prevents constipation.

Homemade Falafel

Ingredients: 

  • Dried chickpeas
  • Yellow onion (or red onion)
  • Chickpea flour or other gluten-free flour
  • Fresh parsley
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
  • Cumin
  • Cilantro
  • Turmeric
  • Cardamom

Directions:

  1. Put the chickpeas to soak for a minimum of 8 hours. I prefer to soak them overnight. Make sure it has enough water and is sitting on a large bowl. They will grow to double or even triple their size.
  2. Blend the soaked chickpeas on low speed with the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil, on a food processor, little by little. You may have to stop the processor and mix the ingredients 2 or 3 times. Don’t overmix it! The mix should be crumbly; that’s why we don’t use pre-cooked chickpeas.
  3. Make balls with the falafel mixture. They should be about 2-3 cm in diameter and placed on a tray. If you find it hard to compress them in your hand, add some extra chickpea flour. Don’t worry; they will tighten up after placing them in the refrigerator.
  4. Let them rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour, ideally 2 hours.
  5. Put the oil on high heat, preferably on a flat pan, and optionally add a roughly smashed garlic clove to infuse it.
  6. Set a bowl with paper towels to place the fried falafel balls.
  7. Test the heat. As the oil starts smoking, throw a pinch of the falafel mix, it should emerge immediately and brown in two seconds.
  8. Add falafel balls in batches of 6 (depending on how large your pan is). Just ensure you have about 2 cm between each other. Remember, don’t overcrowd the pan. It should take about 1-2 minutes per side.

This one is the kind of recipe that is very filling, everyone can repeat as much as they want, and surely you will end up with more for later in the week since it can last for as long as four days in the fridge.

Adapted from Our Plant-Based World

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Health Benefits of Turkey

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and do you ever wonder why turkey is the most served food during this special occasion? It actually traces back to the 19th century when the turkey become a favorite first because it was plentiful and second because hens and cows were more useful for their produce (eggs, milk) rather than their meat; and third, a single turkey can feed a whole family. 

Beyond the bountiful history of this food is a flock of nutrients waiting to be discovered including a healthy turkey recipe! 

Reinforces your Immune System

Turkey is rich in selenium, an antioxidant that promotes a healthy heart and thyroid. 

Source of Protein

Aside from reinforcing your muscle growth, this abundance in protein also assists in regulating insulin levels and preventing fatigue.

Sleep inducing

Ever wonder why after a hefty bite of turkey makes you feel sleepy? That’s because this meat is rich in the amino acid L-tryptophan which promotes serotonin and melatonin. So if you are having a hard time sleeping, you might want to have a mouthful of turkey-enriched food beforehand. 

Improves Vision

Not recognized for vision like carrots or squash but turkey can help improve your eyesight and protect your eyes from cataracts due to the zinc and the B-vitamin Niacin. 

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 (28 ounces) can no-salt-added organic crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (14 ounces) can organic kidney beans, rinsed
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • ½ cup sliced scallions, for serving
  • Hot sauce, for serving

Directions

  1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking it up into chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, squash, water, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, salt and cayenne to the slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.
  3. Remove lid and stir to combine. Serve hot, topped with scallions and hot sauce, if desired.

Adapted from eatingwell.com

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Here’s to Your Health AND your Heart

What you do today, will affect your heart health tomorrow.

Cardiovascular disease is a growing problem and financial burden costing the United States approximately 214 billion dollars a year.  Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of cardiovascular disease.  Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to other health problems such as congestive heart failure, stroke, heart attack, and death.

Alarming statistics show that over the past 50 years, cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of mortality in the United States, but 100 years ago it was not even ranked in the top ten causes of death.  In other countries that have diets lower in salt, cholesterol and fat people have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.  Most high blood pressure has no identifiable or secondary cause and is considered essential hypertension.

Some causes of essential hypertension include obesity, congestion of the liver, kidneys, or gall bladder, stress, and adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, high alcohol consumption, food allergies, and unbalanced essential fatty acids.  Only a qualified healthcare professional can test for the causes of high blood pressure and put you on a specific protocol that would best suit your needs, but the following are tests and recommendations to consider with your healthcare provider.

Tests to check for the causes of hypertension

  • Lipid profile:  Many people with high blood pressure and cholesterol have been linked with thyroid problems as well
  • Complete thyroid profile
  • Liver enzyme profile
  • Fatty acid blood profile:  breaks down the ratio of omega 3-6-9 and determines what specific nutrient(s) you are lacking

Steps that may help naturally control hypertension

  • Aerobic exercise:  at least 30-60 minutes 3-7 days per week
  • Detox programs:  These can help with clearing out the kidneys, liver, and gastro-intestinal system of any congestion and aid in weight loss (only do with the permission and guidance of a qualified healthcare professional)
  • Replace regular table salt with a sea salt
  • Increase intake of calcium, potassium, antioxidants, CoQ10, and essential fatty acids but make sure that you receive these nutrients in a food based formula, not from synthetic supplements.
  • Learn relaxation and stress management techniques
  • Herbs that are heart helpers include Hawthorne, Coleus, and Garlic.

Already taking a prescribed Statin drug?  Recent research has shown that they upset the omega 3-6-9 ratios and they rob the body of CoQ10, which can then lead to fatigue and shortness of breath.  These individuals need to make sure that they are replacing the CoQ10 with food based supplements and making sure that their omega 3-6-9 ratios are balanced.  It is never too late to begin the journey of eating your way to a healthy heart.