Beans and Fiber
Edible Dry Beans – The High Fiber Food of the 21st Century
Today, beans are recognized by many health-related groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association as an extremely beneficial addition to most diets.
That’s because they’re high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber, low in fat and sodium, and completely cholesterol-free.
It’s long been recognized that increasing the fiber content in our diets promotes a healthy digestive tract and reduces the risk of many types of cancer. And fiber also plays a significant role in lowering high blood cholesterol rates, one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease.
Beans are one of the best sources of fiber available, and they’re an excellent source of protein as well. In fact, a one pound can of beans contains more protein than a pint of milk, yet ounce for ounce, fewer calories and fat than eggs, meat or cottage cheese.
It’s no wonder the American Academy of Science and the National Research Foundation agree that dry beans are sure to be the high fiber food of the 21st century!
Nutritional Value of 100g Can of Baked Beans
| ENERGY | 64kcals (270KJ) | PROTEIN | 5.1g | ||
| DIETARY FIBER | 7.3g | ||||
| FAT | 0.5g | CARBOHYDRATE | 10.3g | ||
| Saturated fat | 0.08g | Sugars | 5.2g | ||
| Polyunsaturated | 0.25g | Starches | 5.1g | ||
| Cholesterol | 0mg | ||||
| IRON | 1.4mg | CALCIUM | 45mg | ||
| ZINC | 0.7mg | MAGNESIUM | 31mg | ||
| SODIUM | 480mg | ||||
Fiber Content of Beans Compared With Other Fiber-Rich Foods
| FOOD | TOTAL DIETARY FIBER | |
|---|---|---|
| Beans | ||
| Kidney beans, canned | 20.9g | |
| Navy beans, dried, cooked | 23.0g | |
| Pinto beans, dried, cooked | 24.1g | |
| Fruit | ||
| Banana, raw | 7.3g | |
| Orange, raw | 11.4g | |
| Pineapple, canned | 9.5g | |
| Cereal | ||
| Oat bran | 15.7g | |
| Corn flakes | 1.6g | |
| Puffed wheat | 7.2g | |
Nutritional Composition of Beans With Recommended Daily Intake
| 225g of Beans |
Rec. Daily Intake* Supplied By Beans |
% of Rec. Daily Intake | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein (g) | 10.1 | 63 | 16 |
| Fat (g) | 1.1 | NS | |
|
Carbohydrate (g) |
29.5 | NS | |
| Calories | 162 |
2,510 |
6 |
| Calcium (mg) | 102 | 500 | 20 |
| Iron (mg) | 3.8 | 10 | 38 |
| Vitamin A (g) | 110 | 750 | 15 |
| Vitamin B (mg) | 0.15 | 1 | 15 |
| Vitamin B (mg) | 0.11 | 1.6 | 7 |
| Nicotinic Acid Equivs (mg) | 2.9 | 18 | 16 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 6.6 | 30 | 22 |
| Vitamin D (g) | - | 10 | - |
| Dietary Fiber (g) | 16.3 | NS |
- = Nil
NS = Not Specified
* = Recommended daily intake for sedentary man aged 18-35
Information Courtesy of National Dry Bean Council