For those of you who are unaware, tahini is a sesame seed paste most commonly used in its roasted form to make hummus. In its raw form, it’s milder, and is used for everything from salad dressings to raw mayonnaise and back. It’s generally praised for its high nutritional content and, well, deliciousness. But what’s really going on here?
First, the good stuff. Tahini has high amounts of multiple B vitamins (1, 2, 3, 5, and 15). These are important because they promote healthy cells, speed metabolism, help out your immune system, and generally do a lot of good things (including preventing pancreatic cancer, according to a scientific study). It also has 35% of your RDA for calcium. I don’t need to tell you why calcium is important - especially for us girls. It also makes an addictive salad dressing.
Which brings me to the however part. It has a similar macronutrient profile to an almond (17-12-71, carb-protein-fat), and contains 7.2 grams of fat to every tablespoon. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but consider this: avocado has 2.3. Looking a bit high now, isn’t it? So it needs to be eaten in moderation on a low-fat diet. But that’s not the worst part: it swells in your body. I have experience with this. In three months, doing nothing differently diet-wise but adding about two tablespoons of tahini to my salad every day, I gained seven pounds. Keeping in mind that I hadn’t gained a single pound since I began eating raw foods last January - and had lost over twenty pounds - it’s a real bummer to have gained nearly half of that back. And over such a simple thing. Now, granted, I’d stopped running regularly, but for a three-month stretch, my exercising was sporadic at best, and my weight didn’t fluctuate in any way.
Not looking so innocent now, are you?
I’ve been off tahini for about two weeks now. We’ll see how it goes. But let this be a warning to you all: moderation, moderation, moderation. If you’re going to eat tahini, let it be sparingly and in small amounts. The LFRV diet calls for you to eat fruit - do so, and you’ll be much happier.
