Beans Beans the Musical Fruit

The more you eat, the more you… well, you know. But that’s not a bad thing! Farts are the digestive system at work and help keep your colon happy, limiting risk of future complications. So it is true… the more you toot, the better you’ll feel! 

This month our students are learning all about beans… specifically garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. If you’ve ever wondered why garbanzo beans ended up with a totally different nickname, it’s because of the little “beaks” on the beans that look like a chicken’s beak. In fact, chickpeas are not their only other name. Chickpeas were believed to have originated in the Middle East, but soon spread across the world, and many ancient civilizations cooked with them. In all actuality, chickpeas are known by many different names across the globe including bengal grams, egyptian peas, ceci beans and kabuli chana. Today, the largest producers of Chickpeas are India and Australia.

In class, children get to taste each fruit or vegetable prepared in two ways – usually in raw form and cooked. Fun fact – we actually can’t eat raw garbanzo beans because they are too hard and our bodies can’t digest them. That’s why you often see them sold in cans where they can marinate and soften first. So this month the kids were able to eat cooked chickpeas as well as roasted sea salt chickpeas that can be eaten as a healthier alternative to potato chips. 

Sounds good you say? We’ve got the recipe just for you!

Roasted Garbanzo Beans:

1. Rinse 1 can of low sodium garbanzo beans with water. 
2. Lay the beans on a baking sheet and add a pinch of paprika, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a big squeeze of lemon juice. 
3. Evenly coat the beans, then bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.

And voila! Enjoy!

Shopping tip: Canned chickpeas contain a lot of added sodium to preserve them, so you want to make sure to look for “low sodium” cans, or rinse and strain canned chickpeas to remove up to 40% of the sodium (or do both!).

While this month we give a lot of attention to the chickpea, they’re not the only type of bean that packs a punch for your health. There are plenty of other health-forward beans that help add to a balanced diet. Consider adding lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, or navy beans into your diet as an extra source of good fiber and protein.

So let’s have beans for every meal!