“So, what diet are YOU doing?
This oft-heard phrase is especially common just before and after New Year’s Eve, when millions of Americans decide they’d better stop eating leftover ginger snaps and resolve to get back to healthy eating. After all, a healthy diet has been conclusively proven to shed pounds far faster than exercise!
So you’d better start cutting carbs, right? Especially as the keto diet has gained popularity, carbohydrates have nearly become a bad word. But it turns out that not all carbs are bad (unless you’re trying to go ketogenic!). While bad carbohydrates definitely exist, thankfully so do good carbohydrates… and before we get into hummus specifically, let’s delve a bit into what healthy carbohydrates look like
Breakdown and List of Good Carbs/Bad Carbs
What separates a “good carb” from a “bad carb?” The answer is incredibly simple: fiber! Good carbohydrates contain plenty of dietary fiber, which slows down digestion and thereby prevents spikes in blood sugar levels. Bad carbohydrates are low in fiber, quickly digested by the body and rapidly turned into excessive blood sugar levels. This is important because maintaining steady blood sugar levels with healthy carbohydrate sources is a proven benefit not only when you’re trying to lose weight, but even when you’re just trying to be healthy overall.
That said, here’s a handy list of good carbs and healthy carbohydrate sources:
- Whole Grains – whole wheat, oats, brown rice, oatmeal
- Legumes – beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas
- Vegetables – broccoli, sweet potato, spinach, acorn squash
- Fruits – bananas, cherries, apples, berries
And here are some examples of bad carbs and their sources:
- Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
- White Bread and White Rice
- Pasta
- Alcohol
Notice a pattern? The list of good carbs is full of natural, whole foods that are high in fiber, while the list of bad carbs contains mostly refined foods, high in calories but low in fiber or nutrients
Hummus: Full of Good Carbohydrates!
Now that you know something about good vs bad carbs, you’re ready to hear that hummus contains ONLY healthy carbohydrate sources! The good carbohydrates in hummus derive from chickpeas and tahini. As a legume and a seed, these plant-based ingredients have natural fiber in their hulls, and are both rated very low on the glycemic index, which measures the effect of foods on blood sugar.
Hummus is commonly listed as one of the healthiest foods for diabetics, athletes, and others who want to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Part of the reason for hummus’ growing popularity is that it is packed with healthy nutrients like full of protein, good carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins and minerals—perfect for any occasion
So instead of reaching for some Wonderbread, try Roasted Black Garlic hummus on whole wheat toast! Instead of having regular pasta for dinner, use Kale Pesto hummus to make Kale Pesto Penne with whole wheat or chickpea pasta! Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, make some Buffalo Bleu Cauliflower Wings with Buffalo Bleu hummus.
If you’re looking for other recipes and ideas, check out our HOPE Kitchen and Instagram community for tons of delish dishes that contain healthy, tasty, premium-quality HOPE Hummus
