From Mehmet Oz, MD and, Michael Roizen, MD over at www.RealAge.com:

Sometimes, it’s not what you take out of your diet but what you add to it that has the power to lower your lousy LDL cholesterol, raise your healthy HDL cholesterol, and maybe even chip away at your risk of diabetes.

The newest addition to your power arsenal (and your plate): Chickpeas — also known as garbanzo beans — the luscious legume that’s pureed to make hummus (and that tastes great whole, too). People eating roughly 25 ounces of chickpeas per week — that’s a little more than 3 ounces a day (just a hill of beans, not a mountain of them) — saw their total cholesterol and lousy LDL levels decrease and healthy HDL levels increase compared to 4 weeks on a chickpea-free diet. That’s not all: Their insulin levels also improved, and they lost a small amount of weight — without dieting OR exercising. Try this quick and easy hummus recipe.

Credit should go to the fact that these legumes fill you up with fiber (more than 5 grams in half a cup), protein (6 grams per half cup), and polyunsaturated fatty acids, all qualities your heart and your weight love. Plus, chickpeas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and phytoestrogens.

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1. Tess from Stop Excessive Sweating Says:
   January 1st, 2010 at 8:43 pm

   Thanks for this useful information! I have high cholesterol, and try to control it through diet as medication makes my joints ache. I will definitely try out the recipe – Happy New Year