Too many beans?

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nursem

9 posts since
Nov 9, 2005

15. Feb 24, 2007 2:37 PM

in response to: kponds

Kponds: I just wanted to add - it sounds like you've already made some great changes to your diet. congrats, and keep up the great work.

nursem

9 posts since
Nov 9, 2005

16. Feb 24, 2007 2:45 PM

in response to: kponds

Can I add one more thing - please don't get upset with my longwindedness...

soy, while a great food, is not a cure all. As long as you are meeting your calcium needs by some other method, you do not need to consume milk products. Green veggies are also a source of calcium. Soy is great in moderation. Large amounts may not be good for you because it can mimic hormoned when in your blood. 2 servings of soy milk a day are probably ok though.

Sometimes i wonder why i became a nurse instead of a dietician!!

runningforfreedom

164 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

17. Feb 24, 2007 2:55 PM

in response to: kponds

Bean are a good source of portien, the only reason anyone thinks they are not is because they do not form a complete chain... however if combined with grains... the chain is complete... you do not even have to combine them at the same meal... your body will hang on to the incomplete chain until it has the rest... so lets say you have beans for lunch, and pasta for dinner... you're fine. I grew up on a vegitarian diet, no meat, no fish... and relativly little dairy and eggs (always farm raised)... I never had health problems other than the occaisional cold... it wasn't until I started eating meat, and other american convenience foods that my health started to suffer. You diet is great compared to most peoples... just go to the store and look in peoples carts at the grocery store... you'll see what I mean. I try and fill mine with fruits, veggies, lowfat dairy, eggs and whole grain sources like bread and pastas and brown rice. Then there is really little room for "junk". I would agree with the posters before that you need to add a little variety though... like fuirts and veggies that are in season... not only will it add variety and other nutrients, eating what is fresh and in season, will also help you with your immunity... for example... I live in FL so when the oranges and greapefruits are in season is about the same time that colds and flu comes on... so upping your vitamin c intake at this time is good... nature has taken care that you get this at the right time of the year... it really is amazing if you think about it.

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Ariann092

681 posts since
Jan 4, 2005

18. Feb 24, 2007 2:55 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by nursem:
I'm a huge fan of Canada's Food Guide(CFG) as a healthy diet. It's a healthy living guideline, not a lose weight diet. But if you follow it and are trying to lose weight you should. The US has something very similar but I can't remember what it is called. It is the food pyramid maybe.

Beans fit into a balanced diet in the meat and legumes portion of CFG. A serving of legumes is 3/4 cup and they recommend 2-3 servings depending on your age and gender. Beans are very healthy. Great source of protein for vegetarians.
<HR>

It was called the Food Pyramid, but it's changed style in the past couple years and now is called My Pyramid. Beans are included in both the "vegetables" and "meats and beans" categories, but there's a note someplace on the pyramid website that says to count beans as either "meat and beans" or "vegetables," based on whether or not they're being counted as your primary protein source. For someone eating 2000 calories a day, the website recommends eating at least 3 cups of beans per week. Half a cup counts as a serving which is equivalent to 2 oz. of meat in the pyramid.

For more info: mypyramid.gov

DavidD063

361 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

19. Feb 24, 2007 3:23 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by Ariann:
I have no idea why you would say beans are not a good source of protein. Beans are a great source of protein. Containing 25% or more calories from protein would classify beans as a darn good source. The USDA calls beans an "excellent" source of protein.<HR>

Other than beans not being a complete protein, they are also very high in starch which interferes with protein digestion and amino acid absorption. Certainly compared to eggs and any animal food, beans are a poor protein source.

DavidD063

361 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

20. Feb 24, 2007 3:25 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by runningforfreedom:
I grew up on a vegitarian diet, no meat, no fish... and relativly little dairy and eggs (always farm raised)... I never had health problems other than the occaisional cold... it wasn't until I started eating meat, and other american convenience foods that my health started to suffer...
<HR>

just for balance...
I was a vegetarian for 15 years and only when I started eating meat did my health improve dramatically, and my running too!

Ariann092

681 posts since
Jan 4, 2005

21. Feb 24, 2007 3:46 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by DavidD:

Other than beans not being a complete protein, they are also very high in starch which interferes with protein digestion and amino acid absorption. Certainly compared to eggs and any animal food, beans are a poor protein source.

<HR>

Which is why, if you had read above, you would know that some nutritionists suggest vegans eating up to 20% more protein than otherwise recommended. And that is certainly quite easy on a varied diet. Luckily, since we are not carnivores, it really is not such a big deal to not eat supposedly ideal protein sources. Our diets require very little protein overall, so choosing protein sources that have other things going for them like beans, nuts, and whole grains, is a perfectly viable option.

I doubt the OP intended this to be a pro- or anti-vegetarian post, particularly since the OP is not a vegetarian, but I will say that I have only had good healthy and been at a healthy weight being a vegetarian and constantly battled my weight and health (constant gastrointestinal distress) as a non-vegetarian. None of those anecdotes means anything in terms of what somebody else should do. Maybe I just had a badly planned meat-containing diet and you just had a badly-planned vegetarian diet. Nutritional science says that both types of diets can be planned to be nutritionally better than adequate, and both types of diets can also be awful if they're poorly planned.

runnerparris

365 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

22. Feb 27, 2007 12:45 AM

in response to: kponds

I too am a bean eater. I eat very little meat and I don't like eggs. Beans are an almost perfect food...You dont have to add much to get the complete protein and they are a good source of carbs to boot.

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DavidD063

361 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

23. Feb 28, 2007 4:22 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by runnerparris:
I too am a bean eater. I eat very little meat and I don't like eggs. Beans are an almost perfect food...You dont have to add much to get the complete protein and they are a good source of carbs to boot.

<HR>

I'm not anti-bean. They're are OK. But almost perfect? Certainly not. They're a starch. Add more starch to get a so-called balance of amino acid makes little nutritional sense. They are not a good source of carbs because they are the most difficult of carbs to digest. And, they require relatively long cooking, so some nutrients are destroyed.

The most common complaint from those eating beans -- sleepy afterwards, and lots of gas. Both indicate poor digestion and GI stress. If you can eat a certain amount of beans that don't induce these symptoms, you're probably fine eating that amount.

If you're eating beans in place of animal products (meat, eggs, fish), even if combined with other starches, you've really been mislead nutritionally.

merigayle

1,586 posts since
Aug 15, 2007

24. Feb 28, 2007 7:05 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by DavidD:
just for balance...
I was a vegetarian for 15 years and only when I started eating meat did my health improve dramatically, and my running too!<HR>

So, your experiment of one is what you think works for everyone?

For a vegan, beans are an EXCELLENT choice. And someone who choses that type of diet for religious or moral reasons is not going to "just cook an egg" for protein. Beans are a great choice. You were probably not eating correctly on your vegetarian diet and had issues. There are many top athletes and runners who are vegan and vegetarian. Maybe you were not eating enough beans

DavidD063

361 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

25. Mar 2, 2007 7:26 PM

in response to: kponds

For a vegan, beans are an EXCELLENT choice. And someone who choses that type of diet for religious or moral reasons is not going to "just cook an egg" for protein. Beans are a great choice. You were probably not eating correctly on your vegetarian diet and had issues. There are many top athletes and runners who are vegan and vegetarian. Maybe you were not eating enough beans

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I'm not sure what religion or morals have to do with beans.

I think lentils are clearly a better choice.

My veggie diet was great. I'm a scientist and clinician and did a lot of research and diet analyses. I was finding that my protein needs were difficult at best to meet, and my vitamin A and B12 levels were getting much too low as was my EPA/DHA (all typical in vegetarians). Now we're getting off the topic, sorry.

runnerparris

365 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

26. Mar 2, 2007 11:01 PM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by DavidD:
I'm not anti-bean. They're are OK. But almost perfect? Certainly not. They're a starch. Add more starch to get a so-called balance of amino acid makes little nutritional sense. They are not a good source of carbs because they are the most difficult of carbs to digest. And, they require relatively long cooking, so some nutrients are destroyed.

The most common complaint from those eating beans -- sleepy afterwards, and lots of gas. Both indicate poor digestion and GI stress. If you can eat a certain amount of beans that don't induce these symptoms, you're probably fine eating that amount.

If you're eating beans in place of animal products (meat, eggs, fish), even if combined with other starches, you've really been mislead nutritionally. <HR>

I don't eat beans to replace anything...it is simply the way I eat.

Are you a registered dietician by any chance? Somehow I doubt it.

According to my research Beans are a good source of both protein and carbs. They are also low in fat and calories and very filling....they taste good too!

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DavidD063

361 posts since
Jan 25, 2007

27. Mar 4, 2007 9:26 AM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by runnerparris:

Are you a registered dietician by any chance? Somehow I doubt it.

<HR>

I'm a Ph.D.

runnerparris

365 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

28. Mar 5, 2007 12:35 AM

in response to: kponds

quote:<HR>Originally posted by DavidD:

I'm a Ph.D.<HR>

That doesn't make you an authority on the subject of beans.

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