Eat chickpeas to lower cholesterol

They’re an HFG staple, and with the news today that eating a daily serving of chickpeas could reduce levels of bad cholesterol and, therefore, the risk of heart disease, now there’s even more reason to keep your storecupboard stocked with this versatile pulse.

Scientists in Toronto analysed 26 trials and found that eating a portion of beans or pulses each day cut bad cholesterol by around 5%. ‘This study supports what we know about the heart health benefits of a Mediterranean diet rich in beans and pulses,” says Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation.

But they’re not just good for your heart – chickpeas are naturally low in fat and salt, and they’re a good source of protein. Plus 3tbsp counts as one of your five-a-day. ‘We have a lot of room in our diets for increasing our pulse intake,’ says Dr Sievenpiper, who led the study. ‘As an added bonus, they’re inexpensive.’ To help you get your intake, we’ve looked back through the HFG archives to share with you five tasty ways with a tin of chickpeas…

1.     Pittas on the pulse

In a medium bowl, mix together watercress, drained chickpeas, pitted olives, halved cherry tomatoes and a little crumbled reduced-fat feta. Toss the salad with a drizzle of reduced-fat dressing, then use to fill wholemeal pitta breads.

2.     Quick hummus

Tip 1 tin drained chickpeas into a food processor with the zest and juice of 1 lemon 3tbsp tahini, 2 large garlic cloves and 100ml olive oil. Whiz until smooth, then season with ground black pepper. Top with chopped fresh coriander and a light drizzle of olive oil.

3.     Half-and-half curry

Heat a little spray oil in a non-stick frying pan, then gently fry 1 sliced onion until soft. Add 1 crushed garlic clove and 1tbsp harissa paste and cook for 2 min. Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes and 1tsp sugar and bring to a simmer, then tip in 1 tin drained chickpeas and simmer for 10 min. Stir through 200g ready-cooked and peeled prawns and cook for 3–4 min. Serve with brown rice.

4.     Garlicky mash

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Slice the top off one whole garlic bulb, wrap it in foil, then roast in a baking tray for 30 min. Meanwhile, heat a little spray oil in a medium pan, then add 1 sliced onion and gently cook for 5 min. Add 1 tin drained chickpeas and 300ml reduced-salt veg stock and simmer for 10 min, then drain, reserving a little of the stock. Remove the garlic from the foil and squeeze the flesh into the chickpeas, then mash together, adding a little of the reserved stock, if needed.

5.     Beany burgers

In a food processor, pulse 1 tin drained chickpeas until roughly chopped, then tip into a mixing bowl. Add 500g turkey mince, 2 ready-cooked and coarsely grated beetroots, 1 finely chopped onion, 2tsp fennel seeds, 1tbsp apple sauce and 3tbsp chopped fresh parsley, then stir to combine. Season, then shape the mixture into 8 burgers. Spray a non-stick frying pan with a little oil, then cook the burgers for 6–7 min on each side until cooked through. Serve in toasted buns with your choice of toppings.

For more ways with chickpeas, download the March 2013 issue of Healthy Food Guide from itunes

Should we raise our five-a-day?

By Melanie Leyshon

If it’s not a rude question to ask, how much did you get yesterday? Two bowls of carrot soup, a rice veg pot and seven strawberries meant I just about scraped my five-a-day. And I’m not alone – only a quarter of the UK population meets the five-a-day target, so the call to increase this to seven-a-day and potentially double it to a massive 10 daily servings might seem a fruit and veg step too far.

And before we feel inferior to those from countries eating seven or eight portions a day, it’s good to know that all nations work to the same World Health Organization recommendation of 400g fruit and veg daily – it’s how the governments convey that message that is different. The Swedish mantra of eat fruit and vegetables every time you eat is a good one, while Australians have their 5:2 mantra of five veg and two fruit a day fixed in their brains.

The positive take on the 10-a-day headlines is that five-a-day is back in the news. Eating fruit and veg does help prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and the new research by Health Survey for England, based on a survey of 65,000 people, is compelling about the risk of death and the amount of fruit and veg we eat. Out of the 4,300 people from this group who died during the eight-year survey follow-up, those who ate the least amount of fruit had the highest risk of death. Quite enough evidence to get us reaching for the fruit bowl and adding more vegetables to every meal – but don’t overdo the fruit juice or canned fruit in syrup. 

UK health experts have broken the 400g figure into five separate servings, each weighing 80g. If fruit is dried, a serving weighs 30g (the equivalent of 80g fresh fruit), while a serving of pure fruit or veg juice is 150ml (one small glass). Here’s what counts as one serving…

Fresh fruit

An 80g portion of fresh fruit is:

½ grapefruit

½ avocado

1 apple, orange, banana, pear, nectarine, mandarin or tomato

1 slice (5cm) of melon or mango

1 pineapple ring

1 handful of grapes

1 heaped tbsp tomato purée

2 plums, fresh figs, kiwi fruits, satsumas, clementines or tangerines

2 handfuls of raspberries or blueberries

3 apricots

3 heaped tbsp fruit salad

6 passion fruits

7 strawberries or cherry tomatoes

10 blackberries

14 cherries

a 30g portion of dried fruit is:

1 heaped tbsp raisins, sultanas, currants or cranberries

1 handful of banana chips

2 figs

3 prunes or apricots

4 apple rings

4 pieces of sundried tomato

an 80g portion of tinned fruit is:

(choose fruit in natural juices and not syrup)

2 pear halves

2 peach halves

2 pineapple rings

6 apricot halves

6 prunes

8 grapefruit segments

12 pineapple chunks

AN 80g portion of veg is:

¼ small cabbage
⅓ aubergine

½ large courgette

½ pepper

1 leek

1 medium onion

1 large parsnip

1 large sweet potato

1 corn-on-the-cob

1 cereal bowl of lettuce, spinach leaves or watercress

1 handful of mangetout or sugar snap peas

1 piece (5cm) of cucumber

2 heaped tbsp spinach

2 handfuls of beansprouts

2 broccoli florets

3 celery sticks

3 heaped tbsp pulses, peas, sweetcorn, chopped carrots, butternut squash or cabbage

3 baby beetroots

4 heaped tbsp spring greens, green beans, French beans or kale

4 large mushrooms

5 asparagus spears

6 baby corn

8 cauliflower florets

8 Brussels sprouts

8 spring onions

10 radishes

14 button mushrooms

For more information on portion sizes, download the September 2013 issue of Healthy Food Guide from iTunes

How to make lighter chicken korma

Put that takeaway menu down and make this easy curry instead – it’s got all the flavour but less fat and fewer calories. 

Prep 10 min Cook 25 min Serves 4

200g brown rice

½tbsp olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

450g skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1tbsp mild curry powder

300ml hot reduced-salt chicken stock

35g ground almonds

150g mangetout, thinly sliced lengthways

50g extra-light soft cheese

2tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1tbsp flaked almonds, toasted

1 Cook the rice according to the pack instructions, then drain.

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or large pan, then cook the onion for 2-3 min. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the chicken chunks and stir-fry for 4-5 min until they start to brown. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 2 min.

3 Add the stock and ground almonds and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 min until the sauce is creamy and the chicken cooked. Add the mangetout and cook for 5 min. Stir in the cheese and coriander, then season with ground black pepper.

4 Serve the curry with the brown rice, sprinkled with the toasted flaked almonds.

PER SERVING

448kcal, 37.2g protein, 12.4g fat, 1.9g saturates, 49.9g carbs, 6.6g sugar, 5.2g fibre, 0.8g salt, 112mg calcium, 4.3mg iron

For more healthy recipes, pick up your a copy of Healthy Food Guide March issue, which is in the shops now.