How Healthy Are Chickpeas?

Chickpeas aren’t peas; they’re beans. And more broadly, they’re pulses — a category of legumes celebrated for their copious health benefits.

Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about chickpeas, along with some delicious ways to prepare them from New York Times Cooking.

They’re a good source of plant-based protein.

One cup of chickpeas has 14.5 grams of protein, around 20 percent of the recommended daily amount for an average 185-pound adult. Protein is the main building block of our muscles, tissues, virus-fighting antibodies and more.

Experts are increasingly touting the importance of incorporating plant-based sources of protein in one’s diet. People who eat more plant-based foods, and less red and processed meats, tend to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions. Recently, a committee of leading nutrition experts recommended that the next version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans place pulses in the same category as meat to encourage people to eat more of them.

Their fiber helps keep cholesterol in check.

Chickpeas have something that animal-based protein sources lack: fiber. One cup of chickpeas contains 12.5 grams, roughly half the recommended daily amount.