Hummus is a healthier and more filling option than Ranch dip.

Nothing says party like chips or vegetables and dip. Almost every party I have been to that has snack food has bowls of some sort of chips, plates of vegetables, and some fatty dairy-based dip like ranch or sour cream and onion. These calorie-laden snack dips are the worst enemy of a healthy diet or a slim waistline. Using a vegetable bean dip such as hummus instead of ranch dressing or a fatty cream-based dip is a much healthier option.

When it comes to a nutritional trap, there is one tasty dip that ranks high on our taste but low on health. I would highly recommend that you boring dairy-based dips and say hell yes to hummus. Hummus based hips are very diverse and they take on the flavor of spices and vegetables that we add to them.

Sure, base hummus is somewhat lackluster. Hummus is a simple mixture of chickpeas or garbanzos, olive oil, and tahini. It can be gritty depending on the source of the chickpeas. If fresh chickpeas are properly cooked, the hummus produced can be smooth and devoid fo grit, but if you choose to use canned or do not properly cook the garbanzos, it can come out extremely gritty.

Hummus is fantastic source of the nutrients you need to be healthy. It is full of fiber, quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. We know that fiber promotes satiety and research has proven that protein will keep you full, but hummus gives you the double whammy by providing a near-perfect mixture of fiber and protein to promote long-lasting satiety.

The key to maximizing the health benefits of hummus is picking the right things to dip into it. I recommend that you bake some high fiber pita bread, bean tortilla chips, or fresh vegetables. The added benefit of fiber and protein is the perfect snack and will prevent you from overindulging.

The bottom line: Hummus can help you lose weight by keeping you full and lower your risk of overindulging. The fiber and vegetable-based protein collaborate to help promote weight loss and reduce belly fat. It is near perfect snack food. If you would like to try a recipe I wrote: Spicy Red Pepper Hummus.