Nutritional Benefits of Chickpea

Chickpea  is a legume of the family Fabaceae. It is also called as the garbanzo beans. In India it is called as the Bengal gram or chana. It is mostly cultivated in the  mediterranean, west Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Australia. It is one  of the earliest cultivated legumes of more than 7500 years ago, in the  Middle East. The  chickpea is a type of pulse with a seedpod containing 2 to 3 peas. The plant grows to between 20-25 cm high and has small feathery leaves on  the sides of the stem. Chickpeas need a tropical or subtropical climate  of more than 400 milliliters of annual rainfall.

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There are 2 types of  chickpea
1. Desi  variety: Small and darker seeds with a rough coat. It has higher fiber  content. It is mostly

cultivated in Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia, Iran,  and Mexico. The Desi variety in India, it is known

as the Bengal gram.

2. Kabuli  variety: Lighter colored, larger sized, and a smoother coat. It is low  in fiber content. It is

mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern  Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Chile.

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Mature  chickpea can be cooked in stews, salads, or ground into flour called as  gram flour, which instead is used to make a lot of delicious recipes.  Chickpea can be used to make curries and form a important ingredient in  vegetarian diet which it provides with a good amount of protein.  Chickpea flour is used to make various cuisines and also as a batter to  coat when frying vegetables, meats etc.

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Nutritional Benefits

1. Garbanzo beans are useful sources of zinc, folate, protein, and fiber.

2. It is low in fat, which is mostly present as polyunsaturated fats. It helps to lower cholesterol in the blood stream.
3. It helps to regulate the blood sugar by stabilizing the breakdown of food through the intestine and also stabilizes the blood flow through the digestive tract.

3. Certain varieties of chickpea has high fiber content. It can help support the digestive tract function.

Bacteria in the colon breaks down the insoluble fiber in the garbanzos to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. These SCFAs are absorbed by the cells that line the colon wall and can be used by for energy. It is also helpful in preventing constipation. Lowers the risk for colon problems and decreases the chances of intestinal cancer.

4. Garbanzo beans contains antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene etc.
5. It also contains concentrated supplies of phytonutrients such as flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin found in the outer layer of the beans, and the phenolic acids ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and vanillic acid found in the interior portion of the beans.

6. Chickpeas also provide high dietary phosphorus, manganese, and iron.

7. It provides increased chances of food satiety or satisfaction with food and eliminates the sense of hunger and thus reduce weight gain.

The Blood and Its Functions

Blood is a type of fluid, which is present in human body that provides all essential nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the body and transports carbon dioxide and waste materials away from the cells. An adult human being has approximately 5 liters of blood, which takes up about 7% to 8% of the body weight. The blood is pumped by the heart through arteries, capillaries, and veins to all parts of the body providing nutrition and homeostasis to the body. The cells, tissues, and all the organ systems get the nutrients from the blood.

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The blood consists of blood cells and plasma. The plasma is a fluid part of the blood and it represents 55% of the blood. The cells of the blood remain suspended in the plasma fluid medium. The plasma contains plasma proteins, hormones, glucose, mineral ions, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. The blood cells contained in the blood are red blood cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes, white blood cells (WBCs) or leukocytes, and the platelets. The most numerous cells in the blood are the RBCs. The blood is red in color due to the presence of hemoglobin in the RBCs. Hemoglobin is a transporter of oxygen and therefore it has a role in exchange of gasses with the help of iron present in it. White blood cells are present in the blood that helps to fight against infections and parasites. The platelets are those cells, which help in formation of a clot when there is an injury or cut to the body. Blood cells are produced by the bone marrow. The process by which blood is produced by the body is called hematopoiesis.​

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Functions of Blood

1. Respiratory Function: The hemoglobin in the RBCs takes oxygen from the lungs and as it circulates throughout the body, discharges the oxygen to the cells and tissues. The carbon dioxide that is formed in the body as a result of the metabolism of food is transported back by the blood from the cells and tissues to the lungs where it is discharged by the process of diffusion of gasses. The hemoglobin present in the RBCs of blood help the transportation of gases.

2. Nutritional Function: Nutrient substances such as glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids are transported from their storage sites to various parts of the body, where it is needed. The nutritional substances that are digested by the intestines and GI tracts are transported through the blood to the liver for processing and then to various parts of the body for the replacement of cells and tissues as well as for the growth.​

3. Excretory Function: Substances such as urea and lactic acid that accumulates in the tissues of muscles are transported by the blood to be filtered out. The kidneys are the organs that filter these waste products present in the blood. The waste materials that are formed as a result of the metabolism of the cells are transported by the blood to the kidneys where it is filtered to form urine.

4. Coagulation Function: The blood has a clotting function when an injury happens to the cells or tissues. It is a self repair mechanism to prevent any further blood loss that may occur when there is bleeding from an open wound. The clotting factors of the blood and platelets play a role in the clot formation.

5. Homeostatic Function: The various homeostatic functions of the body include regulation of the temperature, pH, concentration of vitamins, minerals, glucose, hormones, etc. The homeostatic functions are carried out to maintain the levels of these substances within the normal limits. The temperature of the body is kept constant around 37 +/- 4 degree centigrade. This allows the performance of all biological activities and function of the hormones to be kept normal. The blood transports the heat from areas of high metabolic activity to the outside by sweating etc. As a result of metabolism, there is production and accumulation of acids that tends to drift the pH to the lower side. The pH of the blood is kept around 7.35 to 7.45, which is necessary for the body to function properly. The homeostatic mechanism that acts through the respiratory and urinary system regulates the acid base balance and the pH is maintained.

​6. Defense Function: Blood has a defense function against bacteria, virus, pathogens, and other foreign bodies. The leukocytes or WBCs in the blood acts against these invading pathogenic organisms. The lymphocytes have an immune mechanism that provides immunity from further infection by the same pathogenic bacteria or viruses. The plasma has antibodies which acts against disease causing organisms.

6. Transport Function: Blood transports various drugs, hormones, glucose etc from where it is administered to the different parts of the body for their action.

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