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Allergies to Chickpeas
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a common sight in salad bars and ethnic restaurants around the country. Chickpeas are widely appreciated for their mild flavor and creamy texture. Like other legumes, they are a healthy, low-fat source of protein. Chickpea allergies are relatively rare in the United States, but common in some other countries.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
About Chickpeas
Chickpeas have been cultivated for over 9,000 years, making them one of the earliest cultivated food crops. Their drought tolerance, long storage life and high nutrition levels made them a valued and much-loved crop in the ancient world. The family of Cicero, the Roman philosopher and lawyer, took its name from the plant. Chickpeas are certainly enjoyed in the West, but are a daily staple in India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
- Chickpeas have been cultivated for over 9,000 years, making them one of the earliest cultivated food crops.
- Chickpeas are certainly enjoyed in the West, but are a daily staple in India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Chickpeas as an Allergen
Symptoms of Allergies to Chickpeas and Soy
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When your body has an allergic reaction, it's because your immune system has misinterpreted a harmless protein in your food as a threat. It overreacts by manufacturing antibodies to attack the protein. Consequences range from hives or a mild rash, all the way up to potentially-deadly anaphylactic shock. Chickpeas and other legumes are high in proteins, and are therefore potential allergens.
- When your body has an allergic reaction, it's because your immune system has misinterpreted a harmless protein in your food as a threat.
Diagnosis
Most food allergies are first detected by the people who have them. If you notice you get a rash every time you eat chickpeas, you're probably allergic. Other reactions can include difficulty breathing, asthma, a lump in your throat, bloating and diarrhea. Skin reactions such as a rash or hives, and respiratory reactions such as asthma or difficulty breathing, are the most common reactions to chickpea allergy. Doctors can test for specific antibodies, narrowing your allergy down not just to chickpeas, but which specific protein within the chickpeas is causing your reaction.
- Most food allergies are first detected by the people who have them.
- Doctors can test for specific antibodies, narrowing your allergy down not just to chickpeas, but which specific protein within the chickpeas is causing your reaction.
Avoidance
Allergy to Tofu
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Whole chickpeas are easy to see in soups and salads, and are easy enough to avoid. They are less obvious in many prepared dishes, including Middle Eastern staples such as hummus and falafel. Chickpeas are especially difficult to avoid in Indian food, and it's not surprising that they are a common allergen in that country. There they are often split and peeled, after which they are known as channa dal. Chickpeas are also ground for flour, and used to make a variety of foods including crisp pappadums and the fritters called pakoras. If you have a chickpea allergy, avoid Indian restaurants 3.
- Whole chickpeas are easy to see in soups and salads, and are easy enough to avoid.
- They are less obvious in many prepared dishes, including Middle Eastern staples such as hummus and falafel.
Related Articles
References
- "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; Harold McGee; 2004
- "Lord Krishna's Cuisine The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking"; Yamuna Devi; 1987
- "Annals of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology"; Chickpea: a major food allergen in the Indian subcontinent and its clinical and immunochemical correlation; Sangita Patil, Ph.D., et al.; August 2001
- Chickpeas, canned, drained, rinsed. FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published April 1, 2019.
- Jukanti AK, Gaur PM, Gowda CL, Chibbar RN. Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): A review. Br J Nutr. 2012;108 Suppl 1:S11-26. doi:10.1017/s0007114512000797
- Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, et al. Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet. 2019;393(10170):434-445. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
- Wallace TC, Murray R, Zelman KM. The nutritional value and health benefits of chickpeas and hummus. Nutrients. 2016;8(12). doi:10.3390/nu8120766
- Podolak I, Galanty A, Sobolewska D. Saponins as cytotoxic agents: a review. Phytochem Rev. 2010;9(3):425-474. doi:10.1007/s11101-010-9183-z
- Takata Y, Cai Q, Beeghly-Fadiel A, et al. Dietary B vitamin and methionine intakes and lung cancer risk among female never smokers in China. Cancer Causes Control. 2012;23(12):1965-75. doi:10.1007/s10552-012-0074-z
- Yang D, Baumgartner RN, Slattery ML, et al. Dietary intake of folate, B-vitamins and methionine and breast cancer risk among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(2):e54495. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054495
- Becerra-Tomas N, Diaz-Lopez A, Rosique-Esteban N, et al. Legume consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence in adults: A prospective assessment from the PREDIMED study. Clin Nutr. 2018;37(3):906-913. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2017.03.015
- Zafar TA, Kabir Y. Chickpeas suppress postprandial blood glucose concentration, and appetite and reduce energy intake at the next meal. J Food Sci Technol. 2017;54(4):987-994. doi:10.1007/s13197-016-2422-6
- Kim SJ, de Souza RJ, Choo VL, et al. Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(5):1213-23. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.124677
- Bar-El Dadon S, Pascual CY, Reifen R. Food allergy and cross-reactivity-chickpea as a test case. Food Chem. 2014;165:483-8. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.05.138
Writer Bio
Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada's Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He's held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.