Kidney Beans Nutrition
Kidney beans are inexpensive and versatile, and they provide substantial nutritional and health benefits. Adding kidney beans to your meals is an easy way to boost protein and fibre intake without a lot of calories. While red kidney beans are most common, you can find white, purple, and even striped kidney beans to perk up your plate. If you want to learn more about kidney beans nutrition, read the information below that includes the nutrition value, benefits and adverse effects from consuming beans.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: What do They Contain?
The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for ½ cup (90g) of red kidney beans cooked with no added salt or fat.
Calories: 113.5
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 198mg
Carbohydrates: 20g
Fibre: 6.7g
Sugars: 0.3g
Protein: 7.8g
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Carbs
Kidney beans are a low-calorie food that provides a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates. There are three types of carbohydrate in kidney beans. Most of the carbohydrate in kidney beans come from starch. Starches provide the body with quick energy. Kidney beans also have a small amount of naturally occurring sugar. The remainder of the carbs in kidney beans are fibre, which is more than 6 grams in a half-cup serving. Fibre helps to stabilize blood sugar, boost satiety, and improve digestive health.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Fats
There is less than one gram of fat in a half-cup serving of kidney beans, which makes them naturally low-fat food. Most of that small amount of fat is healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, known also as “good” fat.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Protein
Each half-cup serving of kidney beans provides nearly 8 grams of plant protein. For this reason, many vegans and vegetarians use kidney beans or other types of legumes to boost their protein intake. However, kidney beans are not a complete protein. Complete proteins provide all of the essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body and therefore must be consumed in the diet. You'll also need to be sure to eat whole grains or seeds in order to get all essential amino acids.
Kidney Beans: Fibre
Kidney beans are high in fibre. They contain substantial amounts of resistant starch, which may play a role in weight management. Kidney beans also provide insoluble fibres known as alpha-galactosides, which may cause diarrhea and flatulence in some people. Both resistant starch and alpha-galactosides function as prebiotics. Prebiotics move through your digestive tract until they reach your colon, where they’re fermented by beneficial bacteria. The fermentation of these healthy fibres results in the formation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate, which may improve colon health and reduce your risk of colon cancer.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Vitamins and Minerals
A 100 gram, just over half a cup, serving of cooked kidney beans contains 33% of your daily needs of folate. This B vitamin helps boost red blood cell production and provides other health benefits. The same serving also provides thiamin (11% of your daily needs) and smaller amounts of vitamin K (10%), vitamin B6 (6%), vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. Minerals in kidney beans include phosphorus (14%) and manganese (22%), a vitamin that regulates the nervous system and improves brain and bone health. You'll also benefit from copper (11%), potassium (12%), magnesium (10%), and iron (12%):
Iron. This essential mineral has many important functions in your body. Iron may be poorly absorbed from beans due to their phytate content.
Copper. This antioxidant trace element is often low in the Western diet. Aside from beans, the best dietary sources of copper are organ meats, seafood, and nuts.
Manganese. This compound is present in most foods, especially whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
Potassium. This essential nutrient may have beneficial effects on heart health.
Vitamin K1. Also known as phylloquinone, vitamin K1 is important for blood coagulation.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Health Benefits
Aids Healthy Weight Management
An evaluation of the nutritional value of legumes published in Obesity Reviews determined that "replacing energy-dense foods with legumes has been shown to have beneficial effects on the prevention and management of obesity and related disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome." Study authors suggest replacing high-calorie, high-fat meaty foods (such as burgers and sausage) with beans or combining a smaller portion of meat with legumes when cooking these foods in order to reduce fat and calorie content.
Lowers Cholesterol
A review published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that including beans in your diet helps to lower LDL cholesterol (also called "bad" cholesterol).
Improves Blood Sugar Control
Another review of studies found that increasing intake of beans, peas, and lentils can help people with and without diabetes improve long-term glycemic control in their diets.
Supports Beneficial Bacteria
The fibre and resistant starch in kidney beans act as prebiotics, feeding the friendly bacteria in the gut. This improves digestive health and may even help prevent some cancers.
Kidney Beans Nutrition: Adverse Effects and Allergies
Adverse Effects
Kidney beans contain compounds that interfere with nutrient absorption that is commonly referred to as "antinutrients." However, the term is misleading because all plants contain these substances, which have an effect only when consumed in extremely large quantities. The effects of these compounds are negligible in the quantities you likely consume. In addition, the substances are inactivated by soaking and cooking the beans. So, unless you have a condition that may be impacted by these antinutrients (such as iron deficiency anemia), you shouldn't worry about them too much. If you're concerned about the increased flatulence that may result from eating beans, there are cooking methods that may help. Try adding seaweed to the pot, or simply pre-soaking the beans and discarding the water before cooking. These methods haven't been tested in clinical trials, but they may be worth trying in your own kitchen.
Allergies
Although allergies to kidney bean are fairly rare, it is a legume and therefore botanically related to major allergens such as peanut and soy. In particular, people who are allergic to peanuts, pigeon peas, or chickpeas may be sensitive to kidney beans as well. Symptoms of a legume allergy may include swelling in the face, difficulty breathing, severe asthma, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. If you suspect that you or your child has an allergy to kidney beans or any legume, speak with your healthcare provider to receive a diagnosis and advice on how to manage the condition.
