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[QUOTE=Sandra in BC;1109835]Sounds completely sensible to me!
I feel the same way about white potatoes, dairy, and the occasional tortilla chips and salsa or a bowl of oatmeal.
I'll eat beans as a secondary ingredient in a delicious recipe, or if I'm eating ethnic dishes, but not as a substitute for the protein and nutrition of a serving of meat.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, eat them on occasion if you really want/like them, then move on with your life. Don't base your diet on them. That's why vegans tend to be sickly. They eat beans instead of cows.
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[QUOTE=gopintos;1109790]Why are they so touted by nutritionist and even some fitness gurus? They all talk about fiber and protein and feeling full, etc.[/QUOTE]
Beans are slow to digest, contain a lot of fiber, they contain a lot of protein (meaning you can get lots of protein without *gasp* saturated animal fats) and are fairly low calorie. They look good on paper in terms of macronutrients. Then you do the research.
About half of the fiber in beans are soluble fibers, which are actually beneficial (along with some resistant starch), but the other half is insoluble and more difficult to digest. This is why traditional beans are soaked and fermented - beans are notorious for making you have bad gas because of digestion difficulties.
The protein content of beans looks great, until you realize they are almost all incomplete amino acid profiles and about 45-60% of it is actually bioavailable, which varies from bean to bean. That means about half of the protein in a bean can't even be absorbed by the body. You'd have to eat twice the protein in a bean to equal the protein of a whole egg in terms of availability to the body, and then you have to factor in that the protein is incomplete in legumes whereas egg protein contains all essential amino acids.
They're relatively low in micros vs the phytate content (hence the sprouting, soaking and fermenting traditionally) as well.
It's cheap, flavorless filler. You could maybe make some low calorie black bean brownies out of them for a treat without a big impact on weight loss goals, but aside from that, I don't see the point. I'll admit, they sound alright.
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
[url=http://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies-gluten-free-418692]Black Bean Brownies Gluten Free) Recipe - Food.com - 418692[/url]
Although I'd skip all that sugar - there is probably enough in the chocolate chips - and whatever's lacking I'd round out with stevia.
I haven't bought beans for 2 years. The only time I've eaten them is the handful of times I've gone out to Mexican restaurants because white rice and beans come with everything. I won't lie, they're delicious when made right, but they're not in my pantry at any given point. Truth be told, they are pretty filling per calorie and would probably aid weight loss if all you about is weight loss and not overall health. They're not gluten grains or oats - they're definitely an order of magnitude better - but still pretty low on my priority list. I put my personal health as #1 beyond strictly weight loss, so that's why I don't eat almost all grains and beans.
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[QUOTE=Nigel;1109503]I don't do sacrifices and will eat some legumes when I fancy them. I'd rather just accept there may be a tiny risk to my health, but, as I have had no traumas I am sure it is negligible. I LIKE broad beans, peas, baked beans and I will eat them if I don't suffer any ill effects. I also eat potatoes and tomatoes in reasonable portions as well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find I have a cold lager or a nice pint of bitter if we get a summer here in England this year![/QUOTE]
+1
Ok. Not everyone likes beans. We do. So do probably 3 billion people. I eat potatoes and tomatoes too. Just turned 70 and I am doing great.
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[QUOTE=ChocoTaco369;1110067]I haven't bought beans for 2 years. The only time I've eaten them is the handful of times I've gone out to Mexican restaurants because white rice and beans come with everything. I won't lie, they're delicious when made right, but they're not in my pantry at any given point. Truth be told, they are pretty filling per calorie and would probably aid weight loss if all you about is weight loss and not overall health. They're not gluten grains or oats - they're definitely an order of magnitude better - but still pretty low on my priority list. I put my personal health as #1 beyond strictly weight loss, so that's why I don't eat almost all grains and beans.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for all the info.
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I love beans. Hummus is lovely. A good falafel (made with home soaked chickpeas, of course) is delicious. And a good dhall is really super. They are things I have quite rarely but really enjoy when I do.
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[QUOTE=ChocoTaco369;1110067]
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
[url=http://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies-gluten-free-418692]Black Bean Brownies Gluten Free) Recipe - Food.com - 418692[/url]
Although I'd skip all that sugar - there is probably enough in the chocolate chips - and whatever's lacking I'd round out with stevia.[/QUOTE]
Ok, for anyone interested, simply because of this post I went out and bought a can of black beans to try these brownies. I melted half a cup of semisweet chocolate chips as my sweetener and added no sugar. I had to round it out with about a tablespoon of spoonable stevia instead.
They were surprisingly decent. I soaked my beans about 3-4 times to get all the slimy juice out of the can out and soaked them in a bowl of kefir on my radiator for about 2 hours before I made them. I got gassy the first time I ate them, but the second and third time I didn't get any gas. Sure, there is really no good reason to make these, but if for some reason you absolutely need to have brownies, these are probably a decent compromise. Considering the entire pan has something like 1,200 calories or so (just by me eyeing it up, I didn't do the math), you're not making a horribly fattening "dessert" and the fat that is present here is of top notch quality (cocoa fat and coconut fat).
I did not add any baking powder or baking soda, either. They were very dense. I also baked them for about 25 mins instead of 30 and truthfully, I should have gone less.
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One way to compare foods - say beans and your protein of choice - is to open up your food tracker of choice in two tabs/windows. Put one food in the one and the other food in an equivalent weight in the other. Then compared calories, macros, and whatever micros you look at and see how they compare.
I once put a list together for myself to compare sources of protein, and you have to eat 1302 calories of kidney beans to get the same protein as you'd get from 546 calories of 95/5 ground beef.
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[QUOTE=JoanieL;1118249]
I once put a list together for myself to compare sources of protein, and you have to eat 1302 calories of kidney beans to get the same protein as you'd get from 546 calories of 95/5 ground beef.[/QUOTE]
Actually, since the bioavailability of the protein in beans is about 55% and the bioavailability of the protein in beef is about 80%, you'd have to increase the bean consumption by around 1/3. Your body can use animal sources of protein very efficiently. Plant sources can't be digested and assimilated well.
Also, the protein in beans do not contain all essential amino acids, so you'll have to pair them with a complete vegetarian protein source like another bean or nut that has the animos you're lacking...more calories.
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I use my pressure cooker for things like pot roast.
