Beans are highly nutritious, boasting at least a little bit of almost every nutrient you need. They may cause digestive problems, but that can usually be avoided with the right cooking and preparation methods.
Beans are inexpensive, simple to prepare, and healthy.
In particular, they’re a great way to load up on fiber and plant-based protein.
While beans provide many health benefits, they may cause issues for some people.
This article tells you everything you need to know about beans.
What are beans?
In the broadest sense, beans are the pod-borne seeds of leguminous plants — excluding lentils, lupins, peanuts, and certain other types of legumes.
Beans have been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, they’re an important food source worldwide.
Black, kidney, navy, fava, and pinto beans are common in the United States.
Nutritional profiles differ from one bean to the next. However, as an example, 1 cup (171 gram) of boiled pinto beans offers:
- Protein: 15 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carbs: 45 grams
- Fiber: 15 grams
- Iron: 20% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Calcium: 8% of the DV
- Magnesium: 21% of the DV
- Phosphorous: 25% of the DV
- Potassium: 21% of the DV
- Folate: 74% of the DV
Beans also contain decent amounts of zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and vitamins B1, B6, E, and K.
With only 245 calories per cup (171 grams), pinto beans are one of the most nutrient-dense foods around.
Many other varieties are just as impressive.
Beans are unique among plant foods due to their high protein content. For this reason, they’re considered an important protein source for vegetarians.
