8 Great Reasons to Eat Tahini

8 Great Reasons to Eat Tahini

Tahini is a seed butter made from sesame seeds that are hulled, ground, and toasted. It is commonly used in North African, Greek, Iranian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

It is the main ingredient in hummus or baba ghanoush (a similar dip to hummus but using roasted eggplants instead).

There are two main types of tahini: hulled and unhulled. Unhulled tahini is best as it’s made from the whole sesame seed, leaving its nutritional value intact. Hulled tahini is stripped of many of its nutrients.

8 Great Reasons to Eat Tahini

It’s rich in minerals – Sesame seeds are very hight in the essential minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. A tablespoon of sesame seeds has 88mg of calcium, which can contribute to bone health.

Great source of iron – Approximately a 30gm serving of sesame seeds contains three times more iron than a 30gm serving of beef liver, which is commonly known as a high-iron food.

It makes hair shine and skin glow – Tahini contains just about every type of vitamin B your body needs, which play a big part in healthy cell growth and red blood cell health. B vitamins also contribute to immune health and nervous system health, all of which produce healthy skin and hair.

Your muscles will love it – It has 20% complete protein, making it a higher protein source than most nuts, so a great post-workout snack when you need to retain muscle strength.

It’s an alkaline food – It’s easy for your body to digest because of its high alkaline mineral content, which is great for assisting in weight loss.

It is high in unsaturated fat – Only 2 out of the 16 grams are saturated, the rest are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, the good fats

It’s easy on your tummy – Sesame seeds provide many nutrients, but it is difficult for the body to absorb them due to their hard outer layer (hull). In the paste form, tahini allows the body to better absorb the nutrients they provide.

Detoxes your body from the inside out – Tahini is a great detoxifying agent for your liver. As mentioned above, it’s high healthy fat content helps to keep your liver clean and functioning in tip-top shape.

Some great ways to include this amazing food in your daily diet include:

• Make a salad dressing with tahini, natural yoghurt, olive oil, garlic, cumin and apple cider vinegar
• Use it instead of butter as a spread
• Mash it up with some avocado and spread over toast or wholemeal rice wafers
• Blend with some garlic and chickpeas to make a delicious hummus
• Use it as a nut substitute instead of nut butters like in these Nut Free Energy Bites

I’d love to hear any ideas or recipes of how you use tahini, so please leave a comment below.