Whats so good about beans?

taxidermist15

So I brought some dried beans from costco cause so many people here say that beans and lentils are a really good and cheap form of getting protein.
but after looking at the macros, there are way more carbs than protein. I think id rather have a sandwich than beans.
I brought the gourmet blend of peas, beans and lentils (sounds fancy... isnt)
What am i missing here?

Glucocorticoid

You're not missing anything - it's relative. They're comparing its protein content to things like jelly beans, and in that case, it's high. For folks who are dieting and shooting for around 1g/lb of protein, it will be very difficult to do with beans/lentils as their primary protein source.

TheNewDodge

Chicken, Steak and Eggs

DG_Allen

here's the macros for 1 cup of black beans cooked.

Calories 227 Sodium 408 mg
Total Fat 1 g Potassium 611 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 41 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 15 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 0 g
Trans 0 g Protein 15 g
Cholesterol 0 mg

It's a pretty balanced food. There is a lot of carb but also a lot of fiber. The peas in the mix you bought are mostly carbs (I think). 15 grams of protien is pretty good for not being meat. I don't eat much meat (fish maybe two days a week) and I never run under my daily protien macro based on the MFP defaults. Just about everything has some protien in it. We don't *need* to eat meat to "get enough protien" - it's just not true. People seem to assume that meat is the only thing that has protien.

robhigareda

Beans have a lot of carbs, but also contain a high amount of dietary fiber so some of those carbs are negated.

Just a baseline for this for a fiber content over 5g subtract that from the amount of carbs in the item and you'll get the actual carbs. So if there is 25g of carb and 15g of Dietary fiber its equal to 10g of carbs.

beans are an excellent source of additional protein.

adamb83

Works well for vegetarians, like me.

Glucocorticoid

Chicken, Steak and Eggs

Insects are the best mammalian source of protein, gram for gram.

Acg67

I heard beans were terrible for you and caused all known diseases of civilization

Laura_Ivy

They contain loads of fiber and make you fart.....they're greeeeeat!

meshashesha2012

if you cook them right you can avoid most of the musical fruit side effects :laugh:

i like beans because they are cheap and delicious, especially black beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas, cranberry beans cannelini beans

blair_bear

Beans, beans, good for the heart the more you eat...

VMarkV

They make vegans believe that they can get adequate amounts of protein (but completely looking past the whole macro ratio problem) and that seems to make them feel happy

Cindy311

Is there anything wrong with a bean? Delicious and nutritious....

hippietofugirl

Beans have a lot of carbs, but also contain a high amount of dietary fiber so some of those carbs are negated.

Just a baseline for this for a fiber content over 5g subtract that from the amount of carbs in the item and you'll get the actual carbs. So if there is 25g of carb and 15g of Dietary fiber its equal to 10g of carbs.

beans are an excellent source of additional protein.

Woah, i didn't know that you could subtract your fiber from your carbs to get the "real" number of carbs you're consuming. Do a lot of people do that? I go over my fiber A LOTTTT every day, so could I allow myself to have x number more carbs because I went over on my fiber? Isn't that cheating?

jgunn81

Beans, beans, good for the heart the more you eat...

i see someone else grew up like i did, haha...


Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat...

Polly758

So I brought some dried beans from costco cause so many people here say that beans and lentils are a really good and cheap form of getting protein.
but after looking at the macros, there are way more carbs than protein. I think id rather have a sandwich than beans.
I brought the gourmet blend of peas, beans and lentils (sounds fancy... isnt)
What am i missing here?

I think you're missing the idea that something can be a good source of protein AND also contain some carbs as well.

And your bag of beans etc would probably make a great soup with some vegetables and ground beef.

Plus you may have some awesome farts. Awesome farts make my life worthwhile.

xarge

Excellent fiber source like said above but also legumes are rich in iron, magnesium and folic acid which are crucial for diet. They can be used in tons of recipes and they're tasty for an omnivore like me. Oh and iron, again. Legumes are one of the best dietary iron source and I can't emphasize it enough, considering many women have problems with iron levels.

rf1170

Yeah, beans aren't the perfect source of protein, but they are delicious! Are you especially fond of any meals that include them? Most people have one or two beany favorites like refried beans, bean dip, or chili. All of these can be made much cheaper and more healthfully if you start with dried beans that you prepare yourself. And I think someone else mentioned that they're high in fiber - this is one of the reasons that they've been "peasant food" for a long time. They're cheap and filling!

If I were going to cook with the bean blend that you described, I'd make a soup. I love soup, and a simple bean, split pea, or lentil soup is delicious (reminds me of my mom's meals from my childhood). You don't even need to season it much to enjoy the flavors. Just measure out about a cup of the dried bean mix, cover it with a couple of inches of water in a big bowl, and leave it to soak overnight. The next day, start cooking a couple of hours before you want to eat it (most dried beans take between two and three hours to cook, though lentils take much less time. I'd guess that the lentils and peas in your mix will break down as you cook them, making the resulting soup thicker in consistency). Pour off the soaking water, put your beans in a pot, and cover them with another inch or two of water. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down to a bare simmer, and cook until the beans are tender. If you notice that the water is getting low, pour some more in - you don't want them to get dry, because they'll burn. Start checking them after about an hour and a half - spoon a couple out, chew them up, and ask yourself, "do these taste like creamy, cooked beans?" When they do, take the pot off the heat and prepare a soup base. My suggestion would be to keep it simple: cook some onion and garlic in some oil until it's soft, then add stock, salt, and pepper. Stir your cooked beans into the soup base, let it simmer for another couple of minutes, and give it a try! If you find you don't like the flavor, try adding something else to mix (cooked sausage, some shredded leftover chicken, beef, or pork, or any chopped up veggie or leafy green, for example), or cook different legumes.

Good luck, and I hope you love them! I just made a tasty navy bean/pumpkin/quinoa soup yesterday, and I'll happily share the recipe if you'd like! Friend me if you'd want some more ideas - and take care!

blair_bear

Beans, beans, good for the heart the more you eat...

i see someone else grew up like i did, haha...


Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat...

...the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal!

taxidermist15

at the moment i've got them cooking in the crockpot with some chickne breast and some spices. I love me some meat but its pretty expensive, But thanks guys and ladies for all your quick replies. Im not a HUGE fan of beans, but anything that ill help me differentiate from my usual meat and veggies, meat and veggies, meat and veggies. Ill learn to love them.

and hey i may have to try some witchety grubs for some other good sources of protein ill do some diggin the the garden :P

i see someone else grew up like i did, haha...


Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat...

the more you toot......

Glucocorticoid

Beans have a lot of carbs, but also contain a high amount of dietary fiber so some of those carbs are negated.

Just a baseline for this for a fiber content over 5g subtract that from the amount of carbs in the item and you'll get the actual carbs. So if there is 25g of carb and 15g of Dietary fiber its equal to 10g of carbs.

beans are an excellent source of additional protein.

Woah, i didn't know that you could subtract your fiber from your carbs to get the "real" number of carbs you're consuming. Do a lot of people do that? I go over my fiber A LOTTTT every day, so could I allow myself to have x number more carbs because I went over on my fiber? Isn't that cheating?

Fiber has calories too. Just not as many per gram as a typical carb.

sdevan45

Since beans have so much fiber, the carb count is misleading. Insoluble fiber is are not digested at all and can be subtracted from the carb count. Soluble fiber counts a little but not very much. So, if you're showing that you portion is about 40g total carbs, and 15g is fiber, your carb count is really a little higher than 25.

DG_Allen

I make my own black beans and they get good reviews - even from my south american bean eating friends.

Basically it's this:

2 medium red onions
1 red pepper
1 or two or more serrano peppers (heat level up to you)
4 cloves minced garlic
1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
chipotle powder or chilies to taste
a little olive oil
1 pound dry black beans cleaned and rinsed (not soaked, you don't have to soak black beans)
salt and pepper

Cook the veggies until brown in oil. Add the cumin and cook a minute. Add beans and enough water to cover by an inch.

Cook about 2 hours and check beans. Cook until tender. Un cover if you want to let the water boil off and get thicker.

Once done add the salt and pepper to taste and some lime juice if you want.

Salt and Acid must be added at the end when cooking beans or they will prevent them from getting tender.

Enjoy

mmapags

Since beans have so much fiber, the carb count is misleading. Insoluble fiber is are not digested at all and can be subtracted from the carb count. Soluble fiber counts a little but not very much. So, if you're showing that you portion is about 40g total carbs, and 15g is fiber, your carb count is really a little higher than 25.

Given what you said, they still have 25 grams of carbs and only 15 of protein. I love fava beans, navy beans, lentils, black beans and more, but they are a fairly week dose of protein.

epmck11

Since beans have so much fiber, the carb count is misleading. Insoluble fiber is are not digested at all and can be subtracted from the carb count. Soluble fiber counts a little but not very much. So, if you're showing that you portion is about 40g total carbs, and 15g is fiber, your carb count is really a little higher than 25.

Given what you said, they still have 25 grams of carbs and only 15 of protein. I love fava beans, navy beans, lentils, black beans and more, but they are a fairly week dose of protein.

I agree. I enjoy beans and I eat them frequently because they're a tasty and filling source of many kinds of nutrients, but I don't expect them to make up a significant amount of my daily protein. If I relied on beans for my protein, I'd get fat from all the carbs and fat I'd be getting with it. That's why meat is such a great protein source -- it's low in fat (at least chicken and fish), low in carbs, and high in protein. Not many other foods can provide that.

mmapags

Since beans have so much fiber, the carb count is misleading. Insoluble fiber is are not digested at all and can be subtracted from the carb count. Soluble fiber counts a little but not very much. So, if you're showing that you portion is about 40g total carbs, and 15g is fiber, your carb count is really a little higher than 25.

Given what you said, they still have 25 grams of carbs and only 15 of protein. I love fava beans, navy beans, lentils, black beans and more, but they are a fairly week dose of protein.

I agree. I enjoy beans and I eat them frequently because they're a tasty and filling source of many kinds of nutrients, but I don't expect them to make up a significant amount of my daily protein. If I relied on beans for my protein, I'd get fat from all the carbs and fat I'd be getting with it. That's why meat is such a great protein source -- it's low in fat (at least chicken and fish), low in carbs, and high in protein. Not many other foods can provide that.

You got it!

DG_Allen

Since beans have so much fiber, the carb count is misleading. Insoluble fiber is are not digested at all and can be subtracted from the carb count. Soluble fiber counts a little but not very much. So, if you're showing that you portion is about 40g total carbs, and 15g is fiber, your carb count is really a little higher than 25.

Given what you said, they still have 25 grams of carbs and only 15 of protein. I love fava beans, navy beans, lentils, black beans and more, but they are a fairly week dose of protein.

I agree. I enjoy beans and I eat them frequently because they're a tasty and filling source of many kinds of nutrients, but I don't expect them to make up a significant amount of my daily protein. If I relied on beans for my protein, I'd get fat from all the carbs and fat I'd be getting with it. That's why meat is such a great protein source -- it's low in fat (at least chicken and fish), low in carbs, and high in protein. Not many other foods can provide that.

You got it!

I'm not trying to start a fight, but your statement about getting fat just isn't accurate. If you trying to bulk up, maybe, but for normal everyday living, it's just not true. I know lots of thin and fit vegetarians and vegans (basically myself included, I eat a little fish now and then) that get protien from beans or soy (beans). They aren't fat because the average Joe doesn't need to consume 1gram pound of weight in protien. Nobody seems to have an answer on just how much protien a human needs. There are a as many numbers as opinions.

I weigh 158 and I'm 6'0" tall. I'm not fat.

peachyxoxoxo

Protein and fiber!!! I love beans they are especially great for other vegans/vegetarians like myself.