Chickpea Consumption Among US Adults

Americans do not consume enough legumes. Chickpeas are an often-recommended legume, but there is limited data on patterns and trends in chickpea consumption. This infographic provides a snapshot of chickpea consumption among United States adults, observing a nearly two-fold increase in consumption and strong relationships with diet quality, and healthy behaviors and health status.

Potential Benefits of Chickpea Consumption

• Chickpeas are an excellent source of fiber and plant-based protein¹
• Increasing legume intake in the US is likely to improve population health²
• May encourage intake of other important food groups including nuts/seeds and whole grains³
• Clinical trials show consumption may reduce glycemic response compared to foods with the same amount of available carbohydrate^4-6

Top findings from chickpea research

• 57% of US adults consume chickpeas as hummus. Mixed dishes, soups and salads are the other primary ways that US adults consume chickpeas.
• Chickpea consumption has more than doubled from 2003-6 to 2015-18
• Chickpea consumption is higher among individuals with higher incomes and more education.
• Chickpea consumers are more likely to be more physically active, have a healthier weight, have fewer cardiometabolic conditions and to report a better health status than non-chickpea consumers.

Please click on "Click to view" or on the image to the right to download this resource to learn more about chickpea consumption trends in the US.

References

1. Wallace, TC, Murray R, Zelman KA. The Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Chickpeas and Hummus. Nutrients. 2016; 8(12): 766. doi: 10.3390/nu8120766
2. GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2019; 11;393(10184):1958-1972. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8.
3. Rehm CD, et al. Trends and patterns of chickpea consumption among U.S. adults: analyses of NHANES data. J Nutr. 2023;153(5):1567-1576. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.03.029.
4. Augustin LS, et al. Post-prandial glucose and insulin responses of hummus alone or combined with a carbohydrate food: a dose-response study. Nutr J. 2016;15(13). doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0129-1.
5. Hafiz MS, et al. Impact of food processing on postprandial glycaemic and appetite responses in healthy adults: a randomized, controlled trial. Food Funct. 2022;13(3):1280-90. doi: 10.1039/d1fo02304g.
6. Widanagamage RD, Ekanayake S, Welihinda J. Carbohydrate-rich foods: glycaemic indices and the effect of constituent macronutrients. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009;60 Suppl 4:215-23. doi: 10.1080/09637480902849195.