The Diet Bean Counter

Copyrighted by Diet Bites

If you're counting calories while losing weight OR as part of your weight maintenance program, beans are one of your better values when it comes to caloric content - and satiety power. A single serving (about 1/2 cup) of beans will keep you feeling full for hours afterwards.

Calorie per calorie, they stand up strong against their protein counterparts:

Pinto Beans 1/2 cup cooked	3 ounces, raw - ground beef 30% fat, 70% lean	Chicken Leg roasted, lean meat only
About 117 Calories, 15 Protein Grams	About 281 calories, 12 Protein Grams	About 183 calories, 25.43 Protein Grams

Here are a few more really healthy things about beans in the daily diet:

Bean studies indicated that men who incorporated legumes into their daily diet along with other high fiber foods experienced a drop in bad cholesterol levels - as much as 60 points.

Beans can be prepared in so many ways and can enhance other recipes. Add cooked brown beans to rice, add small black beans that have been drained to salads, and add kidney beans to chili and Mexican dishes. You'll be adding a lot of flavor, fiber and nutrition to the recipes, as well as color without adding a plethora of calories or those naughty fat grams.

Bean soups can be created by cooking the beans, then cooling them so that they can be handled without the cook being at risk for burns.

Remove the beans from the liquid and whip to return to liquid. Next stir, salt, pepper, and then add a bit of chili powder if desired, and reheat. Or, mix up a spicy bean dip by whipping drained beans and adding a bit of sliced pickled jalapeno and a dash of chili powder.

Soybeans are also rich in protein, containing almost twice the protein that is found in most legumes.

Soybeans Nutrition Facts: Mature Raw Seeds	Units	Per 100 Grams	Per 1 Cup
Energy, Caloric Value	kcal	446	830
Protein	g	36.49	67.87
Total lipid (fat)	g	19.94	37.09
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	2.884	5.364
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	4.404	8.191
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	11.255	20.934
Cholesterol	mg	0	0
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	30.16	56.10
Fiber, total dietary	g	9.3	17.3
Sugars, total	g	7.33	13.63
Calcium, Ca	mg	277	515
Iron, Fe	mg	15.70	29.20
Magnesium, Mg	mg	280	521
Phosphorus, P	mg	704	1309
Potassium, K	mg	1797	3342
Sodium, Na	mg	2	4
Zinc, Zn	mg	4.89	9.10
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	6.0	11.2
Thiamin	mg	0.874	1.626
Riboflavin	mg	0.870	1.618
Niacin	mg	1.623	3.019
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.377	0.701
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	375	698
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	1	2
Vitamin A, IU	IU	22	41
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	0.85	1.58
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	µg	47.0	87.4

Soybeans, boiled, no added salt Nutrition Facts: Mature Seeds	Units	Per 100 Grams	Per 1 Cup
Energy, Caloric Value	kcal	141	254
Protein	g	12.35	22.23
Total lipid (fat)	g	6.40	11.52
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.740	1.332
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	1.209	2.176
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	3.011	5.420
Cholesterol	mg	0	0
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	11.05	19.89
Fiber, total dietary	g	4.2	7.6
Calcium, Ca	mg	145	261
Iron, Fe	mg	2.50	4.50
Magnesium, Mg	mg	60	108
Phosphorus, P	mg	158	284
Potassium, K	mg	539	970
Sodium, Na	mg	14	25
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.91	1.64
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	17.0	30.6
Thiamin	mg	0.260	0.468
Riboflavin	mg	0.155	0.279
Niacin	mg	1.250	2.250
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.060	0.108
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	111	200
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	8	14
Vitamin A, IU	IU	156	281
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0

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