To sidestep the fat, make a low-fat version of hummus from scratch or from boxed mixes and skip the olive oil. Other no-fat ways to prepare these beans include roasting or grounding them into flour. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, not garbanzo beans. However, all of that fat is monounsaturated and polyunsaturared fats, which are healthy fats for your heart, if not for your waistline. If you want to design the perfect food, beans might just fit the bill.
Garbanzo beans are excellent sources of protein and B vitamins.
A cup supplies half a woman's daily need for folic acid, the B vitamin that lowers risks for birth defects, colon cancer, and heart disease. Like all beans, garbanzos also supply a wealth of phytochemicals, such as phytosterols that lower cancer risk and saponins that lower heart disease risk. And they taste great, fill you up without filling you out, and are dirt cheap. Tell your roommate to cut you some slack and feel free to add this little bean to soups, stews, salads, sandwich spreads, and dips. All rights reserved.