Hummus horror

srclark89

I was shocked to find how high Hummus is in calories, I was equally surprised that it is very low in Protein. Is it the oil that increased the calories? If you made your own, would you even need to add oil? And, whats with the low protein???

AnnPT77

You don't need to add oil if you make it yourself. But if you don't add tahini*, it's pretty much just seasoned smashed chickpeas, IMO. Not that there's anything wrong with seasoned smashed chickpeas.

*Tahini is smashed sesame seeds, so it has fat in it. It's good for you.

luciegumise

I make my own and use little oil instead blending with a little water from the canned chickpeas and some Greek yoghurt which helps the protein levels....no tahini but ramp up the flavour with a little pesto/roast pepper/sunblush tomato/caramelised onion x

livingleanlivingclean

Hummus is mainly chickpeas and tahini. Neither are high protein.

I add natural yogurt to bulk it out a bit. It lessens the flavour, but makes it a bit more calorie friendly.

OldHobo

Just paraphrasing Ann here. I'm all for adding or substituting ingredients and considering recipes as mere suggestions. But mashed garbanzos without tahini is bean dip, not hummus. Nothing wrong with bean dip.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Lounmoun

srclark89 wrote: »

I was shocked to find how high Hummus is in calories, I was equally surprised that it is very low in Protein. Is it the oil that increased the calories? If you made your own, would you even need to add oil? And, whats with the low protein???

Think about why you are eating hummus. If you are eating it because you like the taste and find it filling than it is fine just watch the amount you consume. If you thought a serving would supply half of your protein for the day for very few calories then you need to look at other foods.

If you make your own you can add whatever you like. Oil or tahini will add to the calories. Hummus might have more calories but might be more satisfying in smaller amounts for you than other dips or spreads.

The average amount of protein in beans is about 15 g per cup. Hummus has as much protein as any bean dip I suppose.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-enough-protein-beans-7842.html
I don't know what kind of dip would have more protein but be lower calorie.
Salsa doesn't have more protein but is low calorie. A buffalo chicken dip would probably have more protein but may not be lower calorie than hummus.

livingleanlivingclean

Lounmoun wrote: »

srclark89 wrote: »

I was shocked to find how high Hummus is in calories, I was equally surprised that it is very low in Protein. Is it the oil that increased the calories? If you made your own, would you even need to add oil? And, whats with the low protein???

Think about why you are eating hummus. If you are eating it because you like the taste and find it filling than it is fine just watch the amount you consume. If you thought a serving would supply half of your protein for the day for very few calories then you need to look at other foods.

If you make your own you can add whatever you like. Oil or tahini will add to the calories. Hummus might have more calories but might be more satisfying in smaller amounts for you than other dips or spreads.

The average amount of protein in beans is about 15 g per cup. Hummus has as much protein as any bean dip I suppose.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-enough-protein-beans-7842.html
I don't know what kind of dip would have more protein but be lower calorie.
Salsa doesn't have more protein but is low calorie. A buffalo chicken dip would probably have more protein but may not be lower calorie than hummus.

In Australia we get a range of Chobani yoghurt dips - the whole tub (150g) is about 130 cals, and a good amount of protein

vingogly

It's all in how you use it. I use it sometimes as a spread on crackers, like peanut butter. Comparing 2 Tb of the two:

Hummus - 70 cal, 5g fat, 4g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein
Peanut Butter - 190 cal, 18g fat, 8g carb, 2g fiber, 7g protein

Hummus is the winner on the calorie side when eaten as a spread or add-on to a sandwich, but it's not a primary source for protein.

If you eat half a cup of hummus: 208 cal, 12g fat, 18g carbs, 8g fiber, 10g protein. A half cup of 4% (full fat) cottage cheese has: 120cal, 5g fat, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 14g protein.

Ergo: hummus is a good choice as an alternative to a high-fat spread like peanut butter, not such a good choice in large amounts as a protein source. And I agree with those who say - leave out the tahini and it ain't hummus.

lucerorojo

I have a few hummus cups in my frig which I'm going to eat up! I don't love it, so I probably won't buy it again, but I find it to be a good filling snack with carrots and/or celery. For me it's much better than eating a candy bar and less calories!

lynn_glenmont

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

Lounmoun wrote: »

srclark89 wrote: »

I was shocked to find how high Hummus is in calories, I was equally surprised that it is very low in Protein. Is it the oil that increased the calories? If you made your own, would you even need to add oil? And, whats with the low protein???

Think about why you are eating hummus. If you are eating it because you like the taste and find it filling than it is fine just watch the amount you consume. If you thought a serving would supply half of your protein for the day for very few calories then you need to look at other foods.

If you make your own you can add whatever you like. Oil or tahini will add to the calories. Hummus might have more calories but might be more satisfying in smaller amounts for you than other dips or spreads.

The average amount of protein in beans is about 15 g per cup. Hummus has as much protein as any bean dip I suppose.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-enough-protein-beans-7842.html
I don't know what kind of dip would have more protein but be lower calorie.
Salsa doesn't have more protein but is low calorie. A buffalo chicken dip would probably have more protein but may not be lower calorie than hummus.

In Australia we get a range of Chobani yoghurt dips - the whole tub (150g) is about 130 cals, and a good amount of protein

If you want to make your own, mix savory herbs and spices of your choice (or use a spice mix or dry soup or dip mix) into traditional yogurt, greek yogurt, or cottage cheese (you'll probably want to puree it a bit if you use cottage cheese).

srclark89

I'd like to thank everyone for the replies. I love Hummus but have decided to leave it to one side for now. I want to lose weight, so I need to keep my calories on the low side for now. I'll add at maintenance.

rybo

Nothing horrific about hummus, it's very flavorful and not that calorically dense. Great way to add delicious flavor to things.

jgnatca

The oil makes the hummus. Now I want to make some.

Just measure it as carefully as you do peanut butter. It is very satisfying and makes the cracker, IMO.

MelanieCN77

There's a brand called "Fresh N Nova" that my Vons has that's 43 cals pre 2 tbsp serving and it tastes like any other hummus. That's quite low and I can work that in.