Nutrition Information

Falafel

by Pierre S. Aoukar, MD and Hratch L. Karamanoukian, MD
Posted: March 9

You can call these the middle-eastern version of the popular American hamburger, except they are 100% vegetarian and have been around for a lot longer. Falafel are made from chickpeas and fava beans mixed with onion, garlic, fresh herbs and spices. They are almost always deep fried, and made into a sandwich with lots of other fresh vegetables and a sprinkling of tahini sauce—made from sesame seed. You can make them from a mix or fresh from scratch. And if you do make them at home you can pan-fry instead of deep-frying them. If deep-fried, this food is higher in fat than what we recommend on a regular basis, but it beats the hamburger, hands down, and if you want to splurge, this is the way to do it. Get your fiber, vegetables and protein at the same time.

Reference:
Falafel, Excerpt from the book: Everything Good For The Heart: The A to Z Guide, Aoukar PS and Karamanoukian HL. Magalhaes Scientific Press