Is hummus healthy? Depends on who is asking and how they define healthy

Hummus seems ubiquitous these days. Our local supermarket stocks multiple brands and anytime I eat with my grown children, we seem o end up at a Mideastern restaurant that has hummus on the menu. People certainly think it’s healthy, but it is? EatingWell.com tackles that question in this article.

The answer, like any question about “healthy”, depends on who is asking and why.

“Chickpeas (and thus hummus which is made from chickpeas) are not allowed on the Whole30 diet because they are a legume. For the same reason, hummus is not allowed on a paleo diet. Hummus can be keto friendly, if you eat it in limited amounts and allot carbohydrates in order to make room for it. (Many people count “net carbs” or total carbs minus grams of fiber. In this case, a serving of hummus has 3 net carbs.),” the article states.

So if you’re paleo or Whole30, it’s not. If you’re keto, some of it is ok.

What about those of us trying to cut salt, fat and sugar?

“A 2-tablespoon serving contains about 70 calories, 2 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of carbohydrates and 1.5 grams of fiber,” the article notes. So, healthy? Maybe, if you limit yourself to two tablespoons, difficult o do when eating and talking with friends or when sitting with a big tub of hummus and pita bread while you watch TV.

So before you determine if it’s healthy to you, think about how you define healthy and what your health needs are.