Health Benefits & Uses Of Gram Flour (For Hair, Health, & Skin)

What is a big deal with Gram flour? It is one of the common items that you can find anywhere. It is also known as besan in India, which offers many skins, hair, and health benefits. You can also use it to make some common dishes.

This flour is a great source of protein and is gluten-free. Other than cooking, you can use it for external applications such as hair packs, face scrub, and face masks. For centuries, gram flour can be used for hair and skin health in India.

As it is very gentle and smooth, you can use it for your newborn babies without hesitation. Now, let’s get into the amazing benefits of gram flour in this article.

Common Names of Gram Flour

Tamil Name : Kadalai mavu
English Name : Gram flour, Chickpea flour, Garbanzo Bean flour
Hindi Name : Channa ka aata
Telugu Name : Sanagapindi
Malayalam Name : Cikkam maav
Kannada Name : Kadale hittu
Sinhala Name : Kaḍala piṭi
Swahili Name : Unga Wa Gramu

What Is Gram Flour?

Gram flour is made from ground chickpea, which is also called garbanzo beans or Bengal gram. In the Indian subcontinent, gram flour is considered a staple diet in the cuisine. The raw flour can be given a slightly bitter taste at the same time the roasted flour is flavorful.

But before getting into the benefits of gram flour, let’s go through some super cool and fun facts.

Why is Gram Flour Healthy?

The nutrition of the gram flour is the same as the chickpeas have. Because the gram flour is made from the ground chickpeas. The main benefit of the flour is you will get a high dosage of fiber and protein without gluten. Since it has a high dosage of fiber, you can use it for your digestive system and cure all related diseases. It also helps to stabilize the sugar level of your blood. It maintains your heart healthy and is also used to reduce weight.

As per the Indian study, gram flour is a great source of oleic and linoleic acids, which are nutritionally essential unsaturated fatty acids. It is rich in other vitamins like niacin, beta carotene, riboflavin, and folate. This flour may also have certain antinutritional factors that can be rejected by the cooking process.

All of these benefits are due to the nutrients present in gram flour. This is what we will see now.

Nutrition information of the gram flour (pottu kadalai mavu)

The 100 grams of besan contains the following nutrition.

Calories 387
Fat 7 grams
Carbohydrates 58 grams
Fiber 11 grams
Protein 22 grams
Vitamin A 37.71U
Vitamin C 0.0 mg
Vitamin E 0.8 mg
Vitamin K 8.4 mcg
Thiamin 0.4 mg
Niacin 1.6mg
Folate 402 mcg
Riboflavin 0.1 mg
Vitamin B6 0.5 mg
Pantothenic Acid 0.6mg

Besan is a great source of protein, fiber, and vitamins, so it is a better choice to add to your diet. As it is gluten-free, people who are allergic to gluten can use this flour.

So it’s about the gram flour nutrition facts. Now we can move on to the benefits of gram flour.

What Are The Facts About Chickpea?

Every year, there are 90 million tons of chickpeas produced in India.
India is the greatest exporter and producer of chickpeas worldwide.
In Asian cuisine, the green parts and immature pods of the plant are widely used.
In the 18th century, the roasted chickpeas were used instead of coffee in Europe.
The green and dry stems, as well as the discarded husks, are used for animal fodder.
The chickpea leaves are used in the blue dyes manufacturing.
It is an annual plant that completes its life cycle in a year.

How to Make Gram Flour at Home?

You can easily prepare the gram four in your home, but make sure that the gram flour you prepare is a roasted channa dal. Instead of powdering the channa dal, you can roast them. Channa dal is very famous for preparing coconut chutney. In Tamil, people call it pottu kadalai. To get a homemade gram flour, grind the fried gram by using the mixer. Without frying the chickpeas, you can make gram flour, but frying peas is extra flavorful.

AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS OF GRAM FLOUR

Gram flour is a highly nutrient-content food that can offer lots of health benefits. Let’s go into detail.

1] Reduces Cholesterol

As per the Toronto university report, one serving of besan per day can decrease bad cholesterol. And flour is a great source of fiber that plays the main role in cholesterol deduction. In one Australian study, gram flour reduces more bad cholesterol when compared to the wheat diet.

Another Australian study has shown that gram flour is a great source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber. Both help to reduce cholesterol levels. One Chinese study found that consuming gram flour has beneficial effects on serum cholesterol levels.

2] Aids Weight Loss

A 2010 study found that gram flour can help in weight loss. A study with 42 people for 12 weeks has found an increasing satiation level after consuming gram flour. As gram flour contains protein and fiber, it will aid in weight loss.

One study published in the 2011 issue of Nutrition Journal found that a high protein diet is more effective when compared to a high carb diet for weight loss. Instead of meat, you can use gram flour to boost your fiber intake. By continuing this process you can decrease your saturated fats that are harmful.

Protein has been found to have a high thermic effect which means your body burns calories by breaking down protein into amino acids. The heat effect of protein is about 30%, which means you’ll burn 30% of your calories during digestion.

Keep the portion control in your mind, i.e., if you intake beans instead of flour, then one cup of cooked peas has 270 calories. Gram flour not only helps to reduce weight but also prevents you from the weight coming back.

3] Best for Diabetic Patients

As gram flour can maintain the blood sugar level stable, it is one of the best solutions for sugar patients. As it is rich in fiber content it reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. You can try to add besan dosas with onion, coriander leaves, and chilies in your diet instead of a white rice breakfast. It prevents blood sugar spikes and maintains one fuller till lunch.

As per the American Diabetes Association, gram flour is considered a diabetic superfood. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, intaking gram flour can reduce postprandial blood glucose levels after 30 minutes of eating. It also reduces insulin levels in the blood after 120 minutes of consumption.

4] Besan for Heart Health

Most of the legumes, including chickpeas, are good for heart health. Food that contains fiber and nutrients can make your heart healthy. Besan is the best alternative for eggs. Instead of sugary cereals, consuming the vegan besan omelet daily can maintain your heart more healthy.

To prepare a vegan omelet, beat the besan with a pinch of turmeric powder and include water till fluffy. Include chilies, onion, tomatoes, and coriander leaves, then make omelets.

5] Great Alternative to Gluten

Gram flour is a great choice for people who have a gluten allergy. It is gluten-free and has a subtle flavor. You can add gram flour to any desserts or savory dishes.

6] Cures Anemia

We all know that anemia is caused due to iron deficiency. Nowadays most women are suffering from anemia because of processed food consumption and a decrease in traditional food consumption. Besan is one of the best home remedies for anemia people as it is a great source of calcium and iron. It not only cures anemia but also plays an essential role in red blood cell production.

7] Reduces Inflammation

According to one Pakistani study, gram flour contains anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce inflammation. Moreover, it also has butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that reduces colon inflammation. Gram flour is a great source of vitamin B that helps to increase your immunity level.

8] Prevents Cancer

As per the Mexican study, gram flour provides protection against colon cancer. In American Institute for Cancer Research, gram flour has lignans and saponins. It has starch resistance that protects the colon cells. Gram flour comes with antioxidants such as triterpenoids, sterols, flavonoids, inositol, and protease inhibitors.

According to a Turkish study, adding legumes to your diet can have many beneficial physiological effects, one of which is preventing colon cancer. Legumes are a good alternative therapy against many cancers. The Mexican study has proven that the legumes’ anticancer activity can reduce the risk of cancer.

Another Portuguese study shows that gram flour consumption can inhibit MMP-9 gelatinase protein that is responsible for colorectal cancer progression in the human body.

Read also: 10 Best Herbs to Treat Cancer

9] Regulates Blood Pressure

Besan is proven to be beneficial for reducing high blood pressure. You can add it to your diet if you have high blood pressure. As per the Canadian study, gram flour may promote the blood vessels and attenuate hypertension.

10] Improves Brain Health

We’ve mentioned earlier that gram flour has magnesium. According to the Colorado Christian University report, magnesium makes your brain cell happy. Moreover, it relaxes the blood vessels and allows more blood flow to the brain. Gram flour has phytonutrients and Vitamin B that boost your brain health. Further, they maintain your blood sugar levels stable.

11] Strengthen Bones

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine report, gram flour has more calcium content. Moreover, they also have magnesium, and both make your bone strengthen.

BENEFITS OF GRAM FLOUR FOR SKIN

1] Helps Treat Acne & Acne Scars

Gram flour is one of the best natural remedies to treat acne and acne scars, especially when you combine it with other herbal extracts. As it has zinc, gram flour can fight against infections that cause acne. The fiber in gram flour stabilizes the sugar level in your blood. The unbalanced sugar level can stress your hormones which may lead to pimples or breakouts. Chickpea flour can help to prevent it.

Neem and the holy basil leaves are great medicine to cure acne scars. Take an equal amount of holy basil and neem leaves, mix them like a paste using boiled water. After that strain them, to get the extract. Add the gram flour to the extract to get a thick paste. Apply this paste on your face and let it remain idle for 15 minutes. Rinse them with hot water. This treatment is very effective and safe even for any kind of acne and related issues.

You can make a face pack by using turmeric along with it. Take an equal amount of turmeric and gram flour.

Add a teaspoon of raw honey and lemon juice. Mix them well and apply it like a mask into your damp and neck, then leave it for 10 minutes. Wash with warm water. You can feel the changes.

2] Provide Instant Fairness

Are you planning for a party and missing that glow in your face? Don’t worry. Besan flour can provide instant fairness to your face. Take four teaspoons of gram flour with 1/2 teaspoon of malai and one teaspoon of orange peel. Apply this on your face and neck like a mask. Let it remain for 15 minutes. After that, rinse your face with cold water. It works well for dark necks and arms. To get better results, you can continue this remedy thrice a week.

To treat oily skin, take an egg white and 2 teaspoons of besan flour, beat them. Apply on your face like a mask for 15 minutes. Rinse it off with cool water.

For flaky skin, take 3 drops of fresh lemon juice, mix it with 1 tablespoon of besan, 1/2 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon of milk cream or olive oil. Make them as a paste and then apply.

3] Eliminates Tan

Mix orange peel powder, yogurt, and besan flour, then apply them as a face mask to eliminate tan. Instead of orange peel powder, you can use lemon juice. Include a pinch of salt to get a smooth paste. Wash them with cold water. Continue this process every day before you take a bath. Using this face pack, you will get rid of the redness that is caused due to sunburn. This pack helps you to get back your original color soon. To get better results, you can use homemade curd.

4] Perfect for Oily Skin

Take any kind of clay and rose water with besan flour and apply it like a face mask. This eliminates extra oil from your face. It is one of the best natural homemade masks for people who have oily skin. This pack brightens the skin perfectly. Instead of rose water, you can use rice water.

5] Beneficial for Hair Removal

As we’ve mentioned earlier, gram flour is best to use on babies’ skin. If we use it for regular baths with pure turmeric powder, their body and facial hair will gradually shrink. This mixture is also a good substitute for mothers who cannot make traditional bath powder at home.

Another method of using gram flour for teenage girls and women is, a paste made of alum, besan, turmeric powder, and rose water. This provides better relief. Take a piece of shaving alum, powder it finely.

Take 1/4 tsp powdered alum and include 2 teaspoons of pure gram flour, 1/4 teaspoon of pure turmeric powder, mix them well with rose water, and make a paste. Make sure the paste should not be too thin or too thick. Apply them to your face and neck. Regular usage of this paste decreases your facial hair. Both alum and turmeric are very good for hair removal, and it is the best natural treatment for hair removal at home. To get better results, you can use pure homemade rose water.

BENEFITS OF GRAM FLOUR FOR HAIR

If you are using besan for your hair, then surely you will get better results. You can try the following hair masks to get healthy hair.

1] Cleanses Hair

You may be confused about how to apply besan on hair? Take a bowl, add besan and water. Mix them well until it comes like a smooth paste. Apply this paste to your damp hair and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it with water. You should continue this process thrice a week to get better results.

2] Can Fight Against Dandruff

To get rid of dandruff, take 6 tablespoons of gram flour and make it like a paste using water. Apply this paste and massage your hair, then leave it for 10 minutes. Wash your hair with cool water and feel the changes.

3] Nourishes Dry Hair

Take gram flour of 2 tablespoons and mix them with water. Add 2 teaspoons of honey and 1 teaspoon coconut oil. If you need, you may also include essential oil a few drops. Apply this mixture to your damp hair and massage well while in the shower. Let it stay for a few minutes and then wash with hot water.

4] Beneficial for Hair Growth

Gram flour hair masks promote scalp circulation, boost the roots, and eliminate grime and dirt. If you are looking for a good hair mask recipe to get healthy hair, dozens of choices come out. Among them, one of the best hair packs is gram flour along with fresh aloe vera gel.

It is super conditioning and makes your hair soft, smooth, and manageable. It helps strengthen the hair roots. Both cactus and lemon are the best dandruff fighters and can remove dandruff from your scalp. It is best for people who have oily and normal hair. If you have dry hair, you can use yogurt instead of lemon. You can find good quality gram flour anywhere, so make sure to use them as the best.

Take a fresh aloe vera leaf, wash them and cut the thorns on both sides. Clean the green juice coming out of the sliced cactus leaf. Include lemon juice, gram flour, and cactus gel. Mix them to get a smooth puree. Make sure the mix should not be too thin and too thick. Before washing with a mild shampoo, apply it on the scalp and allow it to dry on your scalp. To get better results, make sure there is no grease on your scalp before using this pack.

That’s all about the benefits of gram flour. But you may be confused about how to add it to your diet?

CHICKPEA FLOUR VS CORNFLOUR

Generally, cornflour is used to thicken soups, gravies, and sauces. It is made from corn and has starch that thickens any curries, sauces, and soups. However, chickpea flour acts as a gluten-free alternative to corn flour, which has many benefits. This flour gives curdling curries, especially those based on yogurt. The amount of the chickpea flour’s thickener is the same when compared to the cornflour.

CHICKPEA FLOUR VS WHEAT FLOUR

Wheat flour is a universally accepted staple food; Chickpea flour is a new member of the Western World Food List. There are many comparison points between chickpea flour and wheat flour.

Wheat flour is made from whole grains (whole wheat), whereas chickpea flour is made from legumes.

Wheat flour is highly refined. So the processing removes the natural nutrients of wheat. Although processed wheat flour is fortified with vitamins and minerals, which cannot compete with chickpea flour’s nutritional value.

Wheat flour has some amount of gluten, whereas chickpea flour is a gluten-free alternative. As a result, chickpea flour is a favorite choice among those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Due to the presence of gluten, wheat flour acts as an excellent binding agent in foods. Chickpea flour, on the other hand, has a better binding address than other gluten-free flour alternatives, offering a thinner and smoother texture when baked.

How to Add Gram Flour in Your Diet?

There are many ways to add gram flour in your diet.

To make bread and other baked goods, you can use this flour.
You can mix this with wheat flour or use it for all gluten-free recipes.
Without sticking, it absorbs in the liquid and gives a buttery flavor to the soup.
Gram flour is a great choice to thicken your soup. Stir a bit of ground gram flour into the soup.
If you want extra crunch to your fried steaks or bacon chops, you can dip it into a small gram of flour.
Gram flour works well in vegetable fritters also. This makes an excellent finish for deep-fried vegetable fritters. Soak your vegetables in this batter and fry it until golden brown.

1. Italian Chickpea Flour Bread

Ingredients :

Gram flour – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Cooking spray
Italian seasoning – 1 1/2 teaspoon
Chopped and dried rosemary – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Salt – Required

Procedure :

Step 1: Mix water and gram flour in a bowl till the mixture becomes smooth. Keep it idle for 2 to 6 hours at room temperature.

Step 2 : Preheat the oven for up to 450 degrees F. Take the cooking spray and spray it inside the metal pie pan.

Step 3 : Slide the foam from the gram flour mixture. Then include oil, rosemary, and Italian seasoning.

Step 4 : Pour the mixture on the metal pie pan, and then sprinkle salt and black pepper on the top.

Step 5 : Bake it in the oven until the corners change to brown. Bake them for up to 15 minutes. Take the bread from the pan and cut it into wedges and serve it.

2. Gram Flour Choco Chip Cookies

Ingredients :

Melted coconut oil – 1/2 cup
Natural honey – 1/4 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
Chickpea flour – 1 and 1/2 cup
Baking soda – 3/4 teaspoon
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Ghirardelli – 3/4 cup
Brown sugar and chopped nuts – 1/4 cup

Procedure:

Step 1 : Preheat the oven for up to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 : Take a long sheet of parchment paper. Take a bowl mix gram flour, baking soda, and salt together.

Step 3 : Take another bowl, mix all the other ingredients except the nuts and chocolate chips. Make sure honey and coconut oil are hot.

Step 4 : Overlap the nuts and chocolate chips.

Step 5 : Bake them for up to 12 minutes. Ideal it after baking.

Side Effects of Chickpea Flour

After all the Benefits of Gram Flour, it may also cause some side effects.
Some people may suffer from intestinal gas and stomach cramps after intaking gram flour. The high dosage of gram flour may cause abdominal and diarrheal pain.

Legume Allergy
If you are allergic to legumes, then you should avoid gram flour.

Other Considerations
High consumption of besan or its flour may cause diarrhea.

Bottom Line

That’s all about the benefits of gram flour. We hope you could have got some useful information. It is very economical and readily reliable as well as works well for health. Hope, so our article was helpful for you. If we miss anything, just comment in the box below.

Live healthily and peacefully…