Easy Homemade Hummus

Back to school for kids means back to lunch-making for us parents.

I don’t know about you, but coming up with new lunch or snack ideas can be draining some days for busy mommas like you and I.

Although, one snack that my son Jackson never gets tired of is my easy homemade hummus. It’s a part of his favourite snack platter along with crackers, apple slices, nut butter and grapes.

I love how many ways you can enjoy hummus too, whether you dip crackers and vegetables into it or spread it on a wrap. But my absolute favourite thing about hummus is its advantages for acne sufferers.

Skin Benefits of Chickpeas

The signature ingredients in my easy homemade hummus are chickpeas and tahini made from sesame seeds. Let’s chat about the benefits of chickpeas for your skin first.

1. Reduces Inflammation

Minor inflammation can be a good thing. It’s a part of the body’s immune response that aims to get rid of foreign invaders and heal itself. Acutely, it causes heat, pain, redness and swelling, which works to repair the body and reduce further damage.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is the bad guy. A poor diet, food intolerances, stress, sugar and a sedentary lifestyle all contribute to body-wide inflammation. This can lead to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and skin issues like acne. When this happens, a perfect storm for acne bacteria and clogged pores starts brewing. Hello, breakouts!

Fortunately, chickpeas are powerhouses in the anti-inflammatory department. Research shows that this legume can lower inflammation markers in the body.

2. Improves Digestive and Intestinal Health

The chickpeas in my easy homemade hummus are an excellent source of dietary fibre. Just one cup of chickpeas provides 12.5 grams of fibre.

A fibre-rich diet is super important for proper digestion and healthy daily bowel movements. It helps increase good probiotics in the gut and keeps you feeling full for longer after meals. Fibre also binds waste together to assist in bulking the stool, diluting and helping to move it through the body quicker.

Daily bowel movements are essential for clear skin because it’s how your body excretes excess toxins and hormones filtered by your liver. If that pathway of elimination is not pushing waste out daily, those toxins and hormones start to reabsorb into the body, creating more inflammation and then acne.

3. Great Source of Zinc

Along with fibre, chickpeas are loaded with zinc and if you’ve taken the birth control pill, you may be deficient in this mineral. Oral contraceptives contain copper, which lowers zinc levels in the body because they compete with each other for absorption.

So increasing your zinc can help control inflammation and assist in creating new cells to repair wounds. Since it’s also a key player in cell production and turnover, zinc can help reduce the amount of oil produced by the skin. Bonus? It also helps balance hormones, which can be a big player in acne.

Milk Versus Sesame Seeds

The other superstar ingredient in my easy homemade hummus is tahini. This Middle Eastern condiment is made from ground sesame seeds, which is one of the best sources of calcium.

While you were probably told as a kid that milk is the best source of calcium, it’s not. Sesame seeds actually have 724 percent more calcium than milk. There is 989 mg of calcium in 100 grams of sesame seeds. Whereas milk only has 120 mg of calcium per 100 grams.

This makes sesame seeds a great alternative for milk to get your daily intake of calcium. It’s also great news for acne-sufferers because dairy is one of the main foods you want to avoid in order to clear your skin. Dairy can worsen acne because it’s inflammatory, contains growth hormones, spikes insulin levels and contributes to poor gut health.

Easy Homemade Hummus

This homemade hummus is super is to make + it's packed with protein, fibre, healthy fats and plant-based calcium.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Author: Katie Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 x 28 oz. can of chickpeas
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup tahini
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 ½ - 2 tsp sea salt

Optional Toppings:

• Smoked paprika
• Fresh parsley
• Chickpeas
• Pine nuts
• Za'tar

Instructions

• Set up your food processor with the S-blade.
• Add all ingredients to the food processor.
• Mix until well combined. If you'd like a slightly thinner consistency to your hummus, drizzle in a little cold filtered water.
• Scoop into desired dish and sprinkle any optional toppings.
• Serve or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.