Hummus Is a ‘Salt and Fat Trap’ Says Health Group

On its surface, hummus appears to be the perfect food: mashing up the Mediterranean diet into a delicious paste. But a British health organization recently warned shoppers that grocery store hummus might not be the healthy choice we’ve all been quietly pretending it is.

A recent survey from the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) looked at 108 different types of hummus and determined that 74 percent of them were worthy of its “red light” warning when it comes to fat. To add insult to injury, CASH also determined that not a single hummus they reviewed was worthy of its “green light” label when it comes to salt. These findings led the organization to deem the chickpea spread one of its “salt and fat traps” along with other unhealthy dips like guacamole, salsa, tzatziki and https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/taramosalata.

“Once again we demonstrate the unnecessary amounts of salt and fat being added by the food industry to what could be a healthy product,” professor of cardiovascular medicine and CASH chairman Graham MacGregor said according to The Guardian.

If there’s any solace for Americans, it’s that the vast majority of the products CASH looked at are from strictly British brands. Though if I had to guess, I’d assume what our grocery stores are selling here probably isn’t much better. Or at least that’s what those snobby Brits would have us believe.

Related: 7 THINGS YOU THINK ARE HEALTHY BUT AREN'T

So what are poor confused shoppers to do? CASH suggests, among other things, that consumers focus on portion control and try not to eat an entire tub in one sitting. You know what, CASH, I hear you pointing out a lot of problems without offering many obtainable solutions.