Black Beans, calorific?!

petithamu

I've been trying to add more fiber into my diet so started eating more beans. I got a recipe for black beans and make a big pot of it. These are the ingredient:

Black beans x 500g
Dried epazote (herbs) x 4gram
2 whole chile de arbol
1 medium onion

I just threw everything in a pressure cooker and cooked for 40 minutes. The recipe said it's 8 serving. After putting in all the details to analyze the calories, it said a whopping 280kcal per serving?? Doesn't that sound like a lot for just beans, no oil, no salt, nothing? And that's only for about 64gram per serving and that's not even 3 spoon full. I'm no doubt going to eat some protein with it but that's going to push my calorie intake way high!

Any 'bean experts' out there??

kimmerroze

well generally each carbohydrate gram is 4 calories... so 64 grams x 4 is 256 calories... fat is 9 calories per gram and protein is 4 calories per gram. This sounds about right Calorie wise. as I don't know the ratio of fat protein and carbs I cant for sure make an accurate count. but it sounds close.

HannahPastoor

It sounds right....Beans are really good for you though so make sure you keep eating them!

Sporty98

1/2 cup of Black Beans alone have 114 calories (cooked without salt), 20 g. carbs, 8 g. protein, and 7 g. fiber. They may have lots of calories, but they're filling and have protein and fiber.

meggonkgonk

Beans, like many foods that provide esstential vitamins and nutrients are high in calories. Just make sure to keep an eye on the serving size and maybe use your veggie power! to flesh out the fillingness a little.

Losing2Live69

Use the recipe thing under the "food" tab. You just enter in each ingredient and how much of it is in your recipe and how many servings you made. It figures everything for you. I love using it.

petithamu

thanks guys! I know it's healthy but still the high calorie count baffles me! I'm still gonna eat them though....

Diya13

I find that I tend to focus on the nutritional density of foods rather than the caloric density, and it's worked for me. Beans are densely packed with nutrients and your body will thank you! Don't worry too much about the calories, because all those calories are there for a reason (as opposed to the empty calories in sugar).

Grokette

thanks guys! I know it's healthy but still the high calorie count baffles me! I'm still gonna eat them though....

This is one of the reasons that calorie counting is for the birds.

It is truly not able how many calories we eat. It is all about the quality of the foods we consume. If you are consuming whole, natural foods and have cut out the processed foods and junk, there is no reason to count calories.

Just stick to serving size and fill up with amazing vegetables and you are good to go.

Beans can also take the place of meat due to the high protein content. So, beans and veggies would be very filling.

Grokette

I find that I tend to focus on the nutritional density of foods rather than the caloric density, and it's worked for me. Beans are densely packed with nutrients and your body will thank you! Don't worry too much about the calories, because all those calories are there for a reason (as opposed to the empty calories in sugar).

Exactly!! I wish more people understood this.