Go to your fridge and take a look at the tub of houmous in there. Now, turn it over and read the ingredients. Chances are that it is filled with all sorts of things you didn't expect. Yuck, right? Don't worry it's ridiculously easy, cheap and quick to make your own healthy version - just follow the instructions below.
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas drained (about 210g without the water)
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water (more or less depending on how sloppy you like it!)
1/2 peeled clove garlic
1/2 lemon juiced (or 1-2 tbls of white wine vinegar)
Salt to taste
Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and whizz together. Done.
Arthritis diet notes
Homemade hummus is rich in healthy fat with a better balance of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids than most shop-bought versions which tend to use cheaper vegetable oils rather than olive oil. Chickpeas are a good source of fibre, folate, protein and iron - all of which are important for healthy eating with any type of arthritis. Studies suggest that people with inflammatory arthritis (psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis etc) are often deficient in iron and folate so eating bean-based dips is a good way to top up.
