Question about canned beans
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sean_hancock wrote: »Well, I think the servings do matter. In the nutrition label it says that there are 3.5 servings per can X 125 grams per serving for approximately 437 grams per can (420 calories). But drained and weighed there are only < 2 servings in the can (approximately 240 calories). Is “bean water” really holding 180 calories?
Maybe I should drain and weigh the beans and divide that number by 3.5?
This is what I do. Sometimes I will make my own food entry based off the grams drained weight, particularly if I use the brand often. I find a lot of variation in different brands of canned beans, so I don't like to use the usda cooked entry. I know the serving amount is not exact (i.e. can may say 3.5 servings and actually have 4), but I figure it is pretty close.
Yeah, I assume the variations are due to the seasonings, etc in each variety (some have some pork, etc in them for flavor)0 -
fitoverfortymom wrote: »I've been doing it all wrong (100lbs lost later), but I'm making chili tonight so I'll enter my recipe with the USDA rinse/drained/cooked values and see what a difference there is.
What I'm meaning to say is anecdotally, for over a year I've used the measurement on the can after rinsing/draining beans and still been wildly successful. The +/- is probably not that big of a deal for a person who has a lot to lose. Could make a difference for someone with a much smaller deficit (like me now).
I don't eat a lot of beans except when I make soup or chili, so could be a lot more impactful for a vegetarian who eats canned beans on the regular.
The bolded is an important point. It's less likely to make a difference if you make a mistake or choose to estimate or use a random "homemade" database entry if it's for something you don't eat often.0 -
sean_hancock wrote: »Well, I think the servings do matter. In the nutrition label it says that there are 3.5 servings per can X 125 grams per serving for approximately 437 grams per can (420 calories). But drained and weighed there are only < 2 servings in the can (approximately 240 calories). Is “bean water” really holding 180 calories?
Maybe I should drain and weigh the beans and divide that number by 3.5?
This is what I do. Sometimes I will make my own food entry based off the grams drained weight, particularly if I use the brand often. I find a lot of variation in different brands of canned beans, so I don't like to use the usda cooked entry. I know the serving amount is not exact (i.e. can may say 3.5 servings and actually have 4), but I figure it is pretty close.
Yeah, I assume the variations are due to the seasonings, etc in each variety (some have some pork, etc in them for flavor)
I don't know about other posters, but when I talk about draining and using the USDA entry for cooked beans of whatever variety you're eating, I'm talking about plain canned beans that are packed in plain cooking water, with nothing other than salt and perhaps preservatives added.
If there are spices and pork in the can, that's a sauce, and it's not meant to be drained and rinsed (and if you drain and rinse it, you're just wasting money, because those sorts of beans cost more than plain canned beans). Of course I would use the information on the nutritional label for that sort of bean.
More importantly, the OP made clear that s/he is asking about beans packed in a liquid that gets drained, so any spices in the liquid are irrelvant.0 -
I did not mean a sauce or spiced. I also generally try to use plain beans, but did not always check the ingredients. Some are made with a decent amount of added sugar or corn syrup, which I assume accounts for the variation (something I never realized until I checked). It's not a sauce, they're not labeled any differently, just the way particular brands make them. Red kidney beans are a common culprit.
Although now that you point that out, it would make sense to use the usda entry as long as the beans were, indeed, only beans and water. I've never been one to use cooked entries I guess.lynn_glenmont wrote: »sean_hancock wrote: »Well, I think the servings do matter. In the nutrition label it says that there are 3.5 servings per can X 125 grams per serving for approximately 437 grams per can (420 calories). But drained and weighed there are only < 2 servings in the can (approximately 240 calories). Is “bean water” really holding 180 calories?
Maybe I should drain and weigh the beans and divide that number by 3.5?
This is what I do. Sometimes I will make my own food entry based off the grams drained weight, particularly if I use the brand often. I find a lot of variation in different brands of canned beans, so I don't like to use the usda cooked entry. I know the serving amount is not exact (i.e. can may say 3.5 servings and actually have 4), but I figure it is pretty close.
Yeah, I assume the variations are due to the seasonings, etc in each variety (some have some pork, etc in them for flavor)
I don't know about other posters, but when I talk about draining and using the USDA entry for cooked beans of whatever variety you're eating, I'm talking about plain canned beans that are packed in plain cooking water, with nothing other than salt and perhaps preservatives added.
If there are spices and pork in the can, that's a sauce, and it's not meant to be drained and rinsed (and if you drain and rinse it, you're just wasting money, because those sorts of beans cost more than plain canned beans). Of course I would use the information on the nutritional label for that sort of bean.
More importantly, the OP made clear that s/he is asking about beans packed in a liquid that gets drained, so any spices in the liquid are irrelvant.
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I like the juice. It is called pot liquor. With a name like that it has to make you feel good,1
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This thread is giving me a complex. I've never thought about canned beans so much in my life.
Good info, though! Lol.4 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »sean_hancock wrote: »Well, I think the servings do matter. In the nutrition label it says that there are 3.5 servings per can X 125 grams per serving for approximately 437 grams per can (420 calories). But drained and weighed there are only < 2 servings in the can (approximately 240 calories). Is “bean water” really holding 180 calories?
Maybe I should drain and weigh the beans and divide that number by 3.5?
This is what I do. Sometimes I will make my own food entry based off the grams drained weight, particularly if I use the brand often. I find a lot of variation in different brands of canned beans, so I don't like to use the usda cooked entry. I know the serving amount is not exact (i.e. can may say 3.5 servings and actually have 4), but I figure it is pretty close.
Yeah, I assume the variations are due to the seasonings, etc in each variety (some have some pork, etc in them for flavor)
I don't know about other posters, but when I talk about draining and using the USDA entry for cooked beans of whatever variety you're eating, I'm talking about plain canned beans that are packed in plain cooking water, with nothing other than salt and perhaps preservatives added.
If there are spices and pork in the can, that's a sauce, and it's not meant to be drained and rinsed (and if you drain and rinse it, you're just wasting money, because those sorts of beans cost more than plain canned beans). Of course I would use the information on the nutritional label for that sort of bean.
More importantly, the OP made clear that s/he is asking about beans packed in a liquid that gets drained, so any spices in the liquid are irrelvant.
I get what you are saying, but sometimes this isn’t obvious.... the “recipe” for some varieties of black beans (for instance) are different due to the different preparations.
I was specifically responding to the person I quoted (not the OP), who was noting different information for different brands, and thus relevant to the conversation taking place.0 -
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »
I only like it in soups and stews because it thickens them. I still rinse the beans so they don't glob together, though,0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »I've been doing it all wrong (100lbs lost later), but I'm making chili tonight so I'll enter my recipe with the USDA rinse/drained/cooked values and see what a difference there is.
What I'm meaning to say is anecdotally, for over a year I've used the measurement on the can after rinsing/draining beans and still been wildly successful. The +/- is probably not that big of a deal for a person who has a lot to lose. Could make a difference for someone with a much smaller deficit (like me now).
I don't eat a lot of beans except when I make soup or chili, so could be a lot more impactful for a vegetarian who eats canned beans on the regular.
The bolded is an important point. It's less likely to make a difference if you make a mistake or choose to estimate or use a random "homemade" database entry if it's for something you don't eat often.
Yes, I eat canned beans 5-6 times a week usually. It's a measurement I feel is personally important for me to be very accurate with.
(For what it is worth, I drain and use the USDA entry).0
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