GARBANZO BEANS

Hope everyone had a great Holiday with their family and friends.  We had a houseful - fun times.  I was a cooking machine.  Kept plenty of Chocobanzo and Hummus in the refrigerator for healthy snacking!

This has been another busy and exciting week.  My jars/lids (packaging) arrives tomorrow!  Picked up my business cards today and have almost finished my business plan.  More and more people are interested and placing orders.  I wanted to share an article I found on Whole Foods website regarding the health benefits of Garbanzo beans.  Remember.....Get Real, Get Raw and Spread it!  Does your food have benefits?  Happy 2012!

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

What's New and Beneficial about Garbanzo Beans

• There's now direct evidence about garbanzo beans and appetite! Participants in a recent study reported more satisfaction with their diet when garbanzo beans were included, and they consumed fewer processed food snacks during test weeks in the study when garbanzo beans were consumed. They also consumed less food overall when the diet was supplemented with garbanzo beans.
• Garbanzo beans (like most legumes) have long been valued for their fiber content. Two cups provide the entire Daily Value! But the research news on garbanzos and fiber has recently taken us one step further by suggesting that the fiber benefits of garbanzo beans may go beyond the fiber benefits of other foods. In a recent study, two groups of participants received about 28 grams of fiber per day. But the two groups were very different in terms of their food sources for fiber. One group received dietary fiber primarily from garbanzo beans. The other group obtained dietary fiber from entirely different sources. The garbanzo bean group had better blood fat regulation, including lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
• In some parts of the world (for example, parts of India), garbanzo beans are eaten daily in large amounts and on a year-round basis. But a recent study has shown that we can obtain health benefits from garbanzo beans even when we eat much smaller amounts over a much shorter period of time. In this study, it took only one week of garbanzo bean consumption to improve participants' control of blood sugar and insulin secretion. Equally important, only one-third cup of the beans per day was needed to provide these blood-sugar related health benefits.
• Garbanzos are a food you definitely want to keep on your "digestive support" list - especially if you are focusing on the colon. Between 65-75% of the fiber found in garbanzo beans is insoluble fiber, and this type of fiber remains undigested all the way down to the final segment of your large intestine (colon). Recent studies have shown that garbanzo bean fiber can be metabolized by bacteria in the colon to produce relatively large amounts of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetic, propionic, and butyric acid. These SCFAs provide fuel to the cells that line your intestinal wall. By supporting the energy needs of our intestinal cells, the SCFAs made from garbanzo fibers can help lower your risk of colon problems, including your risk of colon cancer.
• Article from:  http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=58&tname=foodspice