Black Beans and Other Legumes

ljashley1952

Just wondering what your thoughts are on beans. I know they are full of fiber and protein. My concern is the high calorie count. Is it much like eating an avocado...the health benefits of it outweigh the excessive calories? I made black bean chili with lean ground beef and the resulting 500 calorie per serving of chili is a little off-putting.

Need2Exerc1se

I love beans. I eat them just about every day. I consider them a low calorie food, though, so not sure how to answer your question. Considering the nutrients they pack and how filling they are, they are the best diet food around IMO.

kozinskey

I love beans and legumes. Like any starchy food it's not a good idea to eat a huge portion of them, but I've never felt like they were too many calories to fit into my plan. What all do you put in your chili? I use lean ground beef (try venison if you have it!) and throw in a few cans of diced tomatoes and that helps lower the calorie count. Now if only I could convince myself to stop topping my chili with cheese....

Laurend224

I eat beans or lentils just about every day. I don't find them particularly high in calories, they fit well into my meager calorie allowance just fine.

kathyk519

I love beans and they are in most things that I cook. I don't eat alot of meat, so I use them as a substitution in some recipes. I also love putting them in salads, etc. If you are worried, portion them out differently, as you would an avocado or nuts.

AmazonMayan

I eat them almost daily. It really doesn't take much of them to be filling and keep me full. Sometimes I have them with some meat, but mostly I load them up with veggies or eat them alone.

jddnw

Sounds good to me. Can you share the recipe?

ljashley1952

kozinskey wrote: »

Now if only I could convince myself to stop topping my chili with cheese....

Yes, that too! I adore beans, but honestly, I haven't thought much about how calorie dense they are. When I only get 1350 calories before exercise, 500 calories per serving seems like a lot to use in just one serving of a meal. I used 6 cups of black beans, a pound of lean ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, a little water and spices. It isn't going to stop me from eating chili, but I suppose I will be more mindful of what else I eat on the same day so I don't eat calorie dense foods at all three meals.

Thanks all!

MoiAussi93

I eat black beans (and other legumes to a lesser extent), but in limited quantities...a half cup here or there. Once in a while a full cup. For me, they are just used to add a little something extra to other foods...I often add them to eggs, for example. They are very nutritious, and a great source of fiber.

They are relatively high in calories and carbs for the amount of protein they contain though...that's why I eat them in moderation. Also, while eating relatively small quantities of them causes me no issues, if I eat too much it causes me digestive problems.

softblondechick

I eat a lot of lentils. The carbs may be high, but there is zero fat in vegetarian lentil soup.

Sabine_Stroehm

Big fan of legumes. I eat them at least once a day. They keep me full, they have lots of great micro nutrients, fiber, some protein... Good stuff. Some folks find them inflammatory, which is why they are removed from FODMAPS, whole30, paleo etc, but I love em.

Organic black soy beans are one of my personal favorites. Can't beat the carb/fiber/protein/fat ratios there!

mygnsac

AmazonMayan wrote: »

I eat them almost daily. It really doesn't take much of them to be filling and keep me full. Sometimes I have them with some meat, but mostly I load them up with veggies or eat them alone.

Me too. Beans are so versatile and nutritious. I usually make a pot of beans each weekend (I cook them fairly plain in water and/or veggie broth and add a big can of crushed tomatoes, and maybe some root veggies and whatever seasoning I want at the time). When I reheat, I may add meat, cheeses, veggies, nuts, even raisins, or just eat them plain. Just depends on how many calories I want to spend. I usually stick to 1/2 cup - 1 cup serving sizes. Also good just sprinkled on salads, or mashed up with a little salsa for a dip or sandwich spread.

rayw89

I love beans, and have been adding them in to my diet a lot more lately. The calories are high, so I typically limit it to 1 cup of beans for a meal. But there's a lot you can do with them! Even if you just add some seasoning, they're delicious.

Hearts_2015

ljashley1952 wrote: »

kozinskey wrote: »

Now if only I could convince myself to stop topping my chili with cheese....

Yes, that too! I adore beans, but honestly, I haven't thought much about how calorie dense they are. When I only get 1350 calories before exercise, 500 calories per serving seems like a lot to use in just one serving of a meal. I used 6 cups of black beans, a pound of lean ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, a little water and spices. It isn't going to stop me from eating chili, but I suppose I will be more mindful of what else I eat on the same day so I don't eat calorie dense foods at all three meals.

Thanks all!

Could you put less beans in your recipe? When I make up a big batch of chili I use 2-3 cans ...but typically I soak and cook my own. 6 cups sounds like a lot in a recipe but... maybe not for someone else? Just thinking of how you can make your chili and eat it too!

Your recipe does sounds good.. I think you should share it..so we can taste test it for you.

Hearts_2015

mygnsac wrote: »

AmazonMayan wrote: »

I eat them almost daily. It really doesn't take much of them to be filling and keep me full. Sometimes I have them with some meat, but mostly I load them up with veggies or eat them alone.

Me too. Beans are so versatile and nutritious. I usually make a pot of beans each weekend (I cook them fairly plain in water and/or veggie broth and add a big can of crushed tomatoes, and maybe some root veggies and whatever seasoning I want at the time). When I reheat, I may add meat, cheeses, veggies, nuts, even raisins, or just eat them plain. Just depends on how many calories I want to spend. I usually stick to 1/2 cup - 1 cup serving sizes. Also good just sprinkled on salads, or mashed up with a little salsa for a dip or sandwich spread.

Lots of great ideas here

weird_me2

ljashley1952 wrote: »

kozinskey wrote: »

Now if only I could convince myself to stop topping my chili with cheese....

Yes, that too! I adore beans, but honestly, I haven't thought much about how calorie dense they are. When I only get 1350 calories before exercise, 500 calories per serving seems like a lot to use in just one serving of a meal. I used 6 cups of black beans, a pound of lean ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, a little water and spices. It isn't going to stop me from eating chili, but I suppose I will be more mindful of what else I eat on the same day so I don't eat calorie dense foods at all three meals.

Thanks all!

How many servings did it make? Your 500 calories sounds high for the ingredients listed. I'm assuming it's 6 C of cooked black beans and not dried, right? If so, that comes to about 2000 calories for the entire recipe, give or take. If it only made 4 servings, that's a lot of beans and meat! If you've double checked the calculations and the calories are right, maybe consider making the portions slightly smaller or adding a couple less cups of beans. If you did the calculations right and made it 5 servings instead of 4, you'd still get a good amount of food and cut the calories down to 400 per serving.

WandaMM1

I have a homemade recipe for a three bean and ground beef chili. It calls for three 15.9 oz cans of beans (plus the beef). It makes 6 servings and is under 400 calories. Consider double checking the portion and nutritional information. Also do you use the leanest meat you can find? I got the nutritional information for my chili by using MFPs "Recipe" feature. Have you tried that?

Also, I can get the recipe down to 350 calories if I use ground turkey instead of beef and it's still yummy. I consider beans/legumes - in moderation - a great and nutritious food source.

ljashley1952

I should clarify a little. I did use the MFP database to calculate, but I will go recheck. I used 6 cups of cooked black beans. It was a large pot and made probably 6-8 servings of around 1.5 cups per serving. It might seem like a lot of beans, but it makes a large pot of chili. When I make soup and chili I try to make enough for at least 2 meals and enough to pack for a lunch or dinner at work. I have the recipe saved in My Recipes. Perhaps I will post it to MFP data base.

jgnatca

My thought is the portion size too. I wouldn't go over one cup for a single serving. Love black beans, and they are so good made hot.

PeachyCarol

I love beans. It's all about portion size. I mix my beans and lentils with veggies and get plenty to have a nice hearty serving on a small calorie budget.

weird_me2

ljashley1952 wrote: »

I should clarify a little. I did use the MFP database to calculate, but I will go recheck. I used 6 cups of cooked black beans. It was a large pot and made probably 6-8 servings of around 1.5 cups per serving. It might seem like a lot of beans, but it makes a large pot of chili. When I make soup and chili I try to make enough for at least 2 meals and enough to pack for a lunch or dinner at work. I have the recipe saved in My Recipes. Perhaps I will post it to MFP data base.

I would double check the math on the recipe builder then. Maybe you didn't put the right number of servings or choose the right bean information? I made a dried beans recipe and the calories were twice what I expected, then I noticed that the bean option I chose was actually double the calories it should have had.

If your recipe made 6-8 servings, then your recipe had 3000-4000 calories and I don't get that from adding up the ingredients you listed. From what you listed, I figured it definitely shouldn't be more than 400 calories if it made 6 servings. Should be under 300 calories if it made 8 servings.