Alright, cards on the table. I have always struggled with my weight. I’m not alone–something like one in five adults are classified as “obese” today. Sometimes it doesn’t bother me, and sometimes I go a little crazy Googling easy appetizers that use only kale or garlic bread recipes that replace flour with flax seed or something else the Elves probably eat.
These initiatives are met with mixed success. However, one thing I’ve done has actually helped me lose a few pounds, and that’s replacing a lot of meat in my diet with hummus. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the outer aisles in the grocery store, hummus is a legume made from mashed chick peas. Hummus nutrition is actually really robust, with enough vitamins and protein to keep you full and meet your dietary needs. In fact, three fourths of a cup of hummus can replace one serving of meat on the food pyramid, but without all the extra animal fat.
If you’re thinking “Yeah that’s great, but when I get a craving rabbit food isn’t going to cut it,” I totally understand. When we’re really hungry, we want something with a full, savory flavor. Fortunately, even the healthiest brand of hummus comes packed with flavor. (And yes, they all claim to be the healthiest brand of hummus, but there are ways you can distinguish that we’ll get to in a minute).
Much like tofu, hummus on its own is a mild blank slate flavor that can absorb a variety of interesting herbs and spices, such as garlic, rosemary, spicy red pepper, pine nut, and pesto. We’ve even seen recipes with hummus that include oddball items such as truffle and allspice.
At this point, we can’t imagine you not wanting to at least try the stuff, but if this is your first foray into the food-that’s-good-for-you world, we should offer a few tips. The healthiest brand of hummus will have only a handful of ingredients, and words that you can pronounce on the label. It will also have low sodium, (maybe 130mg or so per serving), and it will not be overly oily. “Organic” and “all natural” on the label are good signs, but they are not always accurate. Only the ingredients and nutrition facts will give you a sense of how natural it is, so make sure to read these thoroughly before you buy anything.
And by all means, if you jump on the hummus bandwagon, comment below with your favorite recipes and weight loss stories.
