Is Hummus Healthy?

Hello lovelies! Everyday at lunch I get a pack of hummus, and it comes with pretzel crisps. I am actually eating it right now also. In the most simple form I can put it in...I'm obsessed. The kind at lunch has 280 calories and 200 of them are fat. That got me thinking. I thought hummus was healthy for you, so why are there 200 fat calories? Turns out, that fat is actually needed, healthy fat. Fat does not always hurt you.

As for hummus, it can be part of a good diet. It has a lot of fiber: an ounce of hummus has 7% of your daily fiber. If you're eating it as a main-dish (like a vegetarian might), a cup of the stuff has 60% of your daily fiber, about 1/3 of your iron, and 20 grams of protein, as well as various important minerals.However, it's also very high in fat: 24 grams. There's nothing inherently wrong with fat, especially since some of it comes from olive oil, which has some other very useful properties. It just means that a cup of hummus is 415 calories, about 1/4 to 1/5 of your daily allotment if calories (depending on how active you are, your gender, your size, etc.)

As for all my mayoholics, lay off on overloading the mayo!...
Mayo is usually used in somewhat larger quantities, and it's essentially pure fat. A packet of mayo (about a tablespoon) contains a whopping 100 calories, and nothing else of nutritional value. 100 calories doesn't have to be a diet-breaker, but it puts a crimp in your ability to obtain all of the other nutrients you need without eating too many calories.
(http://askville.amazon.com/Hummus-healthy/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=8453553)