Hummus– a garlicky blend of deliciousness that has become quite the food trend within the past two years. While we all know and love this savory spread, do we really know what the healthiest hummus consists of?
Hummus is, at it’s simplest, a spread made from chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini. This makes for a nutritious vegan snack that is high in fiber, protein, and low in carbs. Not to mention chickpeas are a great source of iron, calcium, and vitamin K.
The problem is, many hummus brands sold in your grocery store are littered with sodium and artificial additives. As the popularity of hummus is on the rise, there are more and more brands to choose from. This can make it difficult to tell which are the best for your beach bod. To make things easier, here’s a list of the 5 healthiest and unhealthiest brands of hummus.
The Healthiest
5) Pita Pal
At 3g of protein, Pita Pal hummus has one of the highest protein contents on the market. Along with just 3g of fat, 7g of carbs, 65 mg of sodium, and 60 calories per serving, Pita Pal makes a great candidate for health conscious hummus lovers
4) Hannah
Although Hannah’s hummus is a tad high in sodium, 100 mg to be exact, the ingredients are all natural and include no artificial additives, making it a healthy partner for your baby carrots. This hummus also has 60 calories per serving, 4.5 g of fat, 5g of carbs, and 2g of protein.
3) Roots
6g of fat is on the higher side for hummus, but Roots is still one of the healthiest hummus because they substitute canola oil for a healthier alternative, safflower oil, which is linked to aiding in weight loss and lowering cholesterol levels. Roots hummus has 60 calories per serving, 6g of carbs, 2g of protein, and 80 mg of sodium.
2) Abraham’s
Abraham’s hummus is the package deal: low in calories (40 per serving), fat (2g), and sodium (50 mg), it’s difficult to beat this brand of chickpea goodness. The only thing that would make this hummus better is if it had more than 2g of protein.
1) Yorgo’s
Not only is Yorgo’s made of only organic ingredients, it’s high fiber content (3g) will help settle your stomach and leave you feeling satisfied (but not stuffed) all day long. Plus, it’s difficult to beat 50 calories per serving, 2g of fat, 5g of carbs, 2g of protein, and 60 mg of sodium. Yorgo’s is one of the healthiest hummus options out there.
The Unhealthiest
5) Athenos
Although Athenos has 0g of saturated fat, it is riddled with sodium (170 mg)! Despite being high in sodium, Athenos has 60 calories per serving, 3.5g of fat, 4g of carbs, and 2g of protein. Just lower the sodium content to a level that won’t leave you bloated all day and Athenos hummus will make the “Healthiest” list.
4) Cedar’s
Although 60 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 4g of carbs, and 2g of protein may appear healthy on the outside, it’s what’s inside Cedar’s hummus that has earned it a spot on the “Unhealthiest” list. This popular hummus is filled with artificial products such as citric acid and guar gum. What even is guar gum? Um, ew?
3) Sonny & Joe’s
Like many other hummus brands, Sonny & Joe’s culprit is potassium sorbate. This additive can be responsible for giving you migraines and an upset stomach. This brand of hummus is also high in sodium (115 mg), has 70 calories per serving, 6g of fat, 4g of carbs, and 2g of protein. If you enjoy hummus as a pre-workout snack, definitely avoid Sonny & Joe’s.
2) Otria
The ingredient list on this hummus is filled with artificial ingredients, which is never a good thing. Not only that, but there’s an obscene amount of sodium packed into this tiny container of hummus, 140 mg of it! Otria has 60 calories per serving, 4.5g of fat, 3 carbs, and a measly 1g of protein. Opt for a hummus that has fewer ingredients and a higher protein content.
1) Sabra
You heard that correctly– what is arguably one of the most widely known hummus brands out there is actually one of the worst for your waistline. Sabra is riddled with, you guessed it, artificial ingredients. It’s also high in sodium (130mg) and high in fat (5g). The 4g of carbs and 2g of protein are what almost saves this hummus from being #1 on the list of the unhealthiest hummus brands.