Whether it is a social gathering or simply an afternoon snack hommus is both a delicious and nutritious food to enjoy. Selecting the best variety of hommus can enhance both the nutrition your body receives and the taste satisfaction. Below are five common brands you will see at your supermarket to help you make the best choice when selecting your hommus dip.
SSS Foods Natural Hommus Dip
Ingredients:
Chickpea 54%, Water, Tahina 8.5% (Sesame Seed Product), Sea Salt, Citric Acid (330), Lemon Juice, Herb & Fruit Extract, Garlic
Fat per 100g is 6.4g with 1.4g being saturated fat. This is good news for your heart health with goal when selecting products is for saturated fat to be less than 3g per 100g and the total fat less than 10g per 100g. If you are sensitive to artificial preservatives or thickeners, there are none present in a SSS Foods Natural Hommus Dip.
Taste:
Without the added oil and use of whole foods like lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and fruit extract the consistency is a lot lighter. This mouthfeel is much closer to how hommus is made traditionally and suits my pallet the most.
Obela Classic Hummus
Ingredients:
Cooked Chickpeas (73%), Tahini (13%) (Sesame Seeds), Canola Oil, Garlic, Salt, Food Acid (Citric Acid), Preservative (202). CONTAINS: Sesame Seeds - MAY CONTAIN: Tree Nuts, Milk and Sulphites
Evaluation of Fat Content:
Total fat per 100g is 18.8g this is above the recommended 10g per 100g of fat. The amount of saturated fat per 100g is 2.3 which is much closer to the cut off 3g per 100g than SSS Foods Natural Hommus.
The use of canola oil does not have the added antioxidants of extra virgin olive oil and while still containing monounsaturated fat and vitamins E and K it lacks other nutrient benefits. Trans fats can also be present in small amounts in some canola oils. Canola oil is also high in omega-6 fat which is often in excess in the western diet and in excess can cause inflammatory responses in your body.
Taste:
The taste of this dip is a lot heavier than the SSS Foods Natural Hommus dip with the use of the oil.
Yumi’s Traditional Middle Eastern Hommus
Ingredients:
Chickpeas (47%), Water, Canola Oil, Tahini Paste, Acidity Regulator (575), Salt, Food Acids (Citric Acid, Acetic Acid), Garlic, Preservatives (202).
Evaluation of Fat Content:
The total fat exceeds the recommended amount to aim for per 100g with 25.7g of fat per 100g. Good news is the saturated fat is under the goal of 3g per 100g sitting at 2.3g per 100g. The high total fat content is due to canola oil being a larger part of the dip. You can tell as the ingredient canola oil sits closer to the start of the ingredients list.
Taste:
This hommus is remarkably similar in taste to Obela as can feel quite gluggy on the palate.
Chris’ Foods Hommus
Ingredients: Cooked Chickpeas (75%) [Chickpeas, Water], Tahini (10%) [Sesame Paste], Canola Oil, Vinegar, Salt, Food Acid (330), Garlic (<1%), Preservatives (202, 211), Vegetable Gum (415).
Evaluation of Fat Content:
Total fat exceeds the recommended goal for your health of less than 10g per 100g and sits at 15.4g per 100g. The saturated fat is less than 3g per 100g and is only 1.6g per 100g. Canola oil is having been chosen and has the same potential negatives as mentioned above. Vegetable gum is a thickening agent.
Taste:
It is a common trend that when a hommus includes oil the taste becomes very thick and gluggy. When the traditional method of hommus is changed the taste becomes a very different experience.
Pilpel Fine Foods Hummous
Ingredients:
Cooked chickpeas (53%), tahini (sesame, salt), water, extra virgin olive oil, acidity regulator (citric acid), salt, preservative (potassium sorbate).
Total fat per 100g is the highest of all three dips with 19.7g per 100g. Saturated fat is also the highest in this dip with 3g per 100g. A positive is the use of extra virgin olive oil which adds heart healthy monounsaturated fat and with it over 36 different antioxidants.
Taste is quite heavy like the Obela Classic Hummus and the use of the amount of oil in these two dips is at odds with the traditional methods used to make hommus.
Take home message: For overall taste and lowest total and saturated fat my pick must be the SSS Foods Natural Hommus Dip. After visiting Haifa, I am a fan of the traditional method used to make hommus and admire SSS Foods for sticking with this method and providing the same taste experience.
