Gram flour (besan) benefits make it a nutritious and delicious addition to your diet. This gluten-free flour is made from raw or roasted chickpeas. It contains a high level of fiber and protein and may ease digestive problems. It also helps stabilize your blood sugar levels that may help manage diabetes. The flour is also great for weight loss and heart health.
This article discusses the benefits of gram flour, its nutritional profile, how to use it, and any potential side effects. Take a look.
In This Article
What Is Gram Flour?
Simply put, this is a pulse flour made from ground chickpea (also known as Bengal gram or garbanzo beans). A staple diet in the cuisine from the Indian subcontinent, this flour can be made either from raw or roasted chickpeas. The raw variety is slightly bitter, while the roasted variety is more flavorful.
Gram flour, also known as besan flour (channa ka aata in Hindi, sanagapindi in Telugu, kadalai maav in Tamil, cikkam maav in Malayalam, kadale hittu in Kannada, kaḍala piṭi in Sinhala and Unga Wa Gramu in Swahili), is popularly used as a facial exfoliant in India. The flour can also be used in the place of eggs in vegan cooking – all you need to do is mix it with an equal amount of water.
StyleCraze Trivia The earliest records of chickpeas appear in Turkey from about 3500 B.C; and India produces the most chickpeas worldwide.
The flour is rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. It also contains no gluten.
But hold on – even before we get to the benefits of Gram flour, how about amusing ourselves with a few super cool facts?
What Are The Facts About Chickpea I Need To Know?
- 90 million tons of chickpeas are produced every year, with India being the greatest producer and exporter of the peas in the world.
- The green parts of the plant and the immature pods are extensively used in Asian cuisine.
- In 18th century Europe, roasted chickpeas were used as a substitute for coffee.
- The discarded husks and the green and dry stems of chickpea are used as animal fodder.
- The leaves of chickpea are used in the manufacturing of blue dyes.
- Chickpea is an annual plant – it completes its life cycle in one year.
- The stems, leaves, and pods of chickpeas secrete a fluid that contains oxalic and malic acids – these possess aphrodisiac properties.
StyleCraze Trivia Chickpeas are the world’s oldest cultivated legumes, and their remains were found from 7500 years ago.
That’s about the facts. But why discuss the facts? What is so special about this flour?
Why Is Gram Flour Healthy?
What we need to understand first is that the nutrition in gram flour is the same as that of in chickpeas. Because the flour is made from just one ingredient – ground chickpeas.
One major benefit of this flour is that you can enjoy a higher dose of fiber and protein with no gluten. As it is a great source of fiber, the flour can ease your digestive system and treat any related disorders. It also stabilizes your blood sugar levels – thereby aiding diabetes treatment. The flour works great for heart health and can also help with weight loss.
In fact, according to one Indian study, gram flour is rich in linoleic and oleic acids, which are nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acidsi XHealthy dietary fats that help stabilize cholesterol levels and are beneficial for health. . It is also a great source of other vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, folate, and beta-carotene. The flour might also contain certain antinutritional factors that can be eliminated with the cooking process. All in all, the flour is made from an important pulse crop with diverse benefits (1).
All of what we spoke about, all of these benefits, are because of the nutrients present in gram flour. Which is what we will look at now.
So that was about chickpea flour nutrition facts. And now, we head to the real deal.
What Are The Benefits Of Gram Flour For Skin?
Using besan or gram flour for the face and the skin is an age-old trick that we still use. Check out here what are the benefits of applying besan on face.
