101 Canned Black Beans Nutrition Facts: Are They Good?

On visiting big box stores, it's common to find shelves filled with canned foods.

Canned foods have been a common part of our diet ever since we knew how to preserve food for a long time. These cans can lie in our pantry for a long time without getting stale and still retaining the nutrients from the fresh food.

However, there has been, lately, a resurgence in the usage of canned goods for daily cooking. Canned vegetables, meat, and even beans make getting our daily values easier by cooking quick meals.

Having said that, many people are still unsure that canned foods can be a good source of nutrition. Hence, let us help to introduce you to the idea of canned food, especially canned black beans, in this article.

So, if you want to know about the nutrients of canned black beans, keep reading our article.

If you enjoyed learning about canned black beans in this article, why not also read about canned beets nutrition facts and canned coconut milk nutrition facts here on Kidadl?

Fun Facts About Canned Black Beans

To begin with, let's check out some of the facts regarding canned black beans.

There is a general misconception among many people that food needs to be strictly divided into the categories of carbs and protein. But, that's far from the truth, as food items like black beans, legumes, and pulses have a really good amount of protein as well as carbs.

Hence, when you eat these food items on a daily basis, it adds up to your daily need for carbs and proteins, both of which are required to get all the health benefits of having a sound body.

There is a myth that canned foods are low in nutrients. However, this isn't true, as when canned black beans are packed, the nutrients are locked in the food.

So, it isn't different from cooking the beans from scratch.

On top of that, even the water within the can of the black beans is filled with important nutrition.

Hence, don't discard it or even rinse the black beans as it may diminish the health benefits- canned black beans are definitely healthy, just like freshly cooked beans.

The only thing you need to make sure of is to buy canned beans that are free from unhealthy fat, too much sodium, or those that have added sugar, to have a healthy diet of rich foods.

When it comes to understanding the various health benefits of canned beans, it has been said to be great for preventing heart disease. It is also low in fat, so there's little risk of getting heart disease due to cholesterol.

The low-fat content also provides it with fewer calories, making it a great weight-loss food.

Apart from that, canned black bean is one of the foods known for having a rich iron content making them good for our blood. It has enough iron content to make a difference in our daily mineral intake when eaten regularly.

Nutritional Facts About Canned Black Beans

One of the key things to know about any food is the nutritional facts. So, here is some of the nutritional information we have gathered about canned black beans that you are surely going to like.

To begin with, you may think that canned black beans are an unhealthy option. But, contrary to popular belief, the nutrition information shows that canned black beans are actually quite nutrient-rich.

That doesn't mean that the canned beans have too many calories. Instead, the food is rich in vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin E, and sodium. As you may know, canned black beans, like regular beans, contain aspartic acid, a type of amino acid known to be the building blocks to make protein in the body.

Around one cup 6.3 oz (180 g) serving of canned black beans contain 241 calories with up to 1.5 oz (44 g) of carbohydrates, among which 0.6 oz (18.2 g) is dietary fiber needed for digestion and good gut health.

When it comes to protein, the serving size of canned black beans has 0.5 oz (16 g) of protein and 0.02 oz (0.8 g) of fat.

Another key nutrient found in canned black beans is folate or folic acid that helps in producing red blood cells in our body. A cup of black beans can astonishingly have as much as 38% of the daily folate needed by our body. Hence, doctors often advise canned black beans to pregnant women to prevent anaemia.

Similarly, one cup of canned black beans is also rich in iron (29% of daily value), magnesium (22% of daily value), and potassium (17% of the daily value). So, canned black beans are a really great way to take care of your health while maintaining a low-calorie diet.

The exact calorie content in a tin of black beans may vary, but usually, a 10.12 oz (287 g) tin of black beans has 379 calories.

Facts About Side Effects Of Canned Black Beans

There are some people who cannot have canned beans because it gives them gastrointestinal problems. But, other than that, most people will never have any negative side effects from eating canned black beans.

When it comes to eating canned black beans, it is thought to be a legume that is great for people adhering to vegan or vegetarian diets.

Even when you have quite a bit of canned black beans, it will still have fewer calories but a good amount of protein, carbohydrates, and nutrients, making it great for including in all meals.

As black beans are also a low glycemic food, it is good for people with diabetes as it doesn't spike their blood sugar. And the healthy protein and carbohydrate content keep them full for a longer time without affecting the blood sugar levels, making it a recommended food for people with diabetes.

But, make sure that the canned black beans you are buying don't contain any added sugar and have a low sodium level.

Another point to note is to avoid the inclusion of refined fat or vegetable oil present in the beans as it can affect the calorie intake by increasing the percentage of fat in a meal- which isn't good for your health.

Coming to the side effects of canned black beans, some people lack an adequate amount of the alpha-galactosidase, which is needed to break down oligosaccharides or galactans, a complex sugar present in black beans.

Hence, their body is unable to digest the black beans properly, or for that fact, most legumes give rise to discomfort and formation of intestinal gas.

Hence, if it's something that happens to you, then try to avoid the black beans. So, canned beans aren't technically bad for you.

Facts About Canned Black Beans Preparation

We have already talked about how canned black beans are low in calories and a great protein source, making them full of health benefits for your body. But, when it comes to cooking the usual black beans, the major problem is the inconvenience and the time taken to cook. Thankfully, canned black beans can be prepared within minutes.

Yes, that's right! If you have a can of black beans and a microwave, you can create a healthy recipe within minutes.

All you need to do is have the canned black beans in a bowl and put it in the microwave for three to four minutes. As the black beans already come pre-cooked in the can, microwaving makes it warm and perfectly good to eat.

However, they should be drained and washed first— to rinse off some of the slippery slime typical to all beans and to get rid of extra sodium (even in the reduced-sodium varieties).

A half-cup of drained black beans contains 120 calories. Apart from it, another one of the easy but tasty recipes is to empty the canned black beans in a flat bottom pan and simmer it for a long time to get a thick consistency.

Alternatively, you can also start the recipe by sautéing a bit of tomato, onion, and chilli in olive oil before adding the canned black beans. Adding seasoning like paprika, cumin, and dried oregano can heighten the taste even more.

And to add a Mexican touch, both of the recipes we mentioned go well with a healthy dose of fresh lime juice.

You might notice that we didn't mention the use of salt; that's because most canned black beans have a high sodium level for preservation. But, if you have got low sodium, taste the black beans once cooked and add a pinch of salt according to your taste.

Canned black beans can also be used on salad to make bean soup or taco soup. As you can understand, all of these recipes are low in calories and fat content, making the dishes great for any diet.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 101 canned black beans nutrition facts: are they good? then why not take a look at canned fruit nutrition facts or canned peaches nutrition facts.