Hummus

I love hummus. I love hummus on pita, I love hummus on chips, I love hummus as a substitute to butter, I love hummus right off the spoon, I love hummus for lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast. Basically, I. Love. Hummus.

That being said, I used to snack on hummus because I love the flavor and the consistency of it. I justified my snacking by telling myself that it was a healthy snack. Of course, it is a healthy choice in comparison to potato chips, but as I was casually reading the nutrition facts on the tub, I started to second-guess my thoughts on it being a healthy snack. As I was reading the label, I saw that a serving size of 2 tablespoons had 70 calories; 50 of which came from fat. Other than that, I saw that from hummus I could get fiber, carbohydrates, protein and sodium.

Yes, hummus does have very healthy qualities. If you are eating it as a main dish, a cup of hummus could have 60% of your daily fiber, about 1/3 of your iron, 20 grams of protein, and various important minerals as well. However, even though you are taking in all of that good stuff, you will also be subjected to 24+ grams of fat.  Granted that a lot of the fat is “good fat” that comes from sources such as olive oil, but if you are trying to watch your calorie intake, it still counts as fat. The fat in hummus contains plenty of Omega 3 in it. Hummus also contains important nutrients such as iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, folic acid, and more. To make things even better, hummus has a low glycemic value so you can feel full for much longer because it does not raise your glucose levels very quickly.

If you are eating it in moderation and as a condiment rather than a meal, it really is not too bad for you. There are plenty of snack foods out there that are worse for you. Just be wary when you are eating it and remember that a cup of hummus is 415 calories, about 1/4 to 1/5 of “your” daily value of  calories.

Maybe try making your own hummus? (This is a much healthier option.) Or cutting back on the pita?