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28 Health Benefits of Pinto Beans (#1 Plant Protein Source for Vegetarian)

Think pink, think pinto beans. Pink is like everyone’s favorite color and that color is closely associated with pinto beans and make this variety of beans are so popular. Besides that, aside from the beautiful color of pinto beans, these beans are also packed with nutrients and have great taste. However, those are not the only reasons why people like to consume them, pinto beans are great source of protein but low in fat, totally great for daily diet solution for whatever healthy living goal you want to achieve.

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What is Pinto Beans?

Pinto beans are probably the most popular beans in America and Mexico. If burrito is your favorite food and you must have known that pinto beans are one of the common fillings of burrito. Though pinto beans are very popular in America but these beans are originated from Spain and the name ‘pinto’ is from Spanish word which means ‘painted’. This name inspired by the beautiful pink color of pinto beans when they were cooked.

So, where pinto beans are in food chain? Well, as mentioned above, though they are commonly found as burrito’s filling but in some countries, pinto beans are staple foods just like rice, potatoes and yams, especially during winter. Pinto beans has scientific name Phaseolus vulgaris and have unique appearance like the beige color beans are accidently splotched with reddish brown color. So, you are not going to mistaken them with other types or varieties of beans. However, the unique appearance will disappear once you cook them, the beans will turn into beautiful pinkish brown. The texture of pinto beans is very creamy and makes them one of the tastiest beans ever.

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Nutritional Value of Pinto Beans” state=”closed

Nutritional Value of Pinto Beans

What is the point of eating pink food, no matter how cute they are in your dinner plate if they will provide you nothing? Actually, you could enjoy all the cuteness of your food which is also packed with nutrients that are essentially required by your body and health benefits of pinto beans.

Pinto Beans (Cooked)

Serving size: 100 g

Energy 143 kcal
Carbohydrate 26.22
–          Sugar 0.34
–          Dietary Fiber 9
Fat 0.65
–          Saturated Fat 0.109
–          Monounsaturated Fat 0.106
–          Polyunsaturated Fat 0.188
Protein 9
Water 62.95 g
Vitamins
Vitamin B1 – Thiamine 0.193 mg – 17%
Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin 0.062 mg – 5%
Vitamin B3 – Niacin 0.318 mg – 2%
Vitamin B6 0.229 mg – 18%
Folate – Vitamin B9 172 µg – 43%
Vitamin C 0.8 mg – 1%
Vitamin E 0.94 mg – 6%
Vitamin K 3.5 µg – 3%
Minerals
Calcium 46 mg – 5%
Iron 2.09 mg – 16%
Magnesium 50 mg – 14%
Phosphorus 147 mg – 21%
Potassium 436 mg – 9%
Sodium 238 mg – 16%
Zinc 0.98 mg – 10%

From the nutritional value table mentioned above you could see why pinto beans are also consumed as staple food in some countries because pinto beans are so rich of carbohydrate and could be the source of energy. Furthermore, they contain low fat but quite rich of protein. Though the sodium content is a bit high but since potassium also found in higher amount, potassium will balance the sodium content in blood stream before it could cause any harm. In short, pinto beans are packed with beneficial nutrients for human body and surely offer you more of health benefits of pinto beans that probably you never aware before.

  1. Super Source of Fiber

There are some perk of consuming foods rich of fiber, especially when you are consuming them in daily basis but one of the top perk is you could say good bye to constipation for good. Yup, it is only one of the benefits you could get from pinto beans. Fiber is essential for human body especially for digestive track but also excellent for those who are currently in diet program.

Also read: Health Benefits of Fiber

  1. Say Goodbye to Constipation for Good

Constipation could cause you feel so uncomfortable like your stomach is so full and it seems like you can do nothing to deal with it. Well, it is much easier to prevent it than to treat it. Consuming adequate amount of fiber could help you preventing constipation and since pinto beans are so rich of fiber, you could say goodbye to constipation for good.

  1. Prevents Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Effectively

IBS or irritable Bowel Syndrome could be suffered by anyone especially those who don’t get enough fiber in daily basis. Pinto beans are highly recommended food to consume daily because they are rich of fiber that could prevent IBS. The insoluble fiber contains in pinto beans are the reason why these beans are good for your bowel.

  1. Promotes Healthy Digestive Track

What you need for healthy digestive track is not much, just enough stock of fiber. Insoluble fiber is responsible in binding unnecessary stuffs inside the intestine to be washed off completely from the digestion system. Without which, some stomach problems could occur.

Also read: Symptoms of Colon Cancer

  1. Lowers the Risk of Heart Attack

There are some reasons why pinto beans are great for heart and could lower the risk of heart attack. Pinto beans are rich of fiber, folate and some minerals like potassium and magnesium. Folate is essential in lowering the level a certain compound called homocysteine which responsible in increasing the risk of heart attack.

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  1. Controls Blood Pressure Efficiently

Most people are striving to find solution to control their blood pressure effectively. Well, the best thing to do is avoiding foods that could cause the spike and consuming food that could lower and prevent the spike. Pinto beans are rich of minerals like potassium that could control the excessive amount of sodium in the blood stream. Sodium is one of the main factors that could cause the high blood pressure.

  1. Natural Source of Folate or Folic Acid

Folic acid or folate is also well known as Vitamin B9. As one of the vitamin B complex, folate has a lot of benefits to human health. As mentioned above, it responsible in lowering the level homocysteine that could be harmful for heart. Folate is also essential for the fetus development during pregnancy.

  1. Great Source of Protein

Pinto beans are the great source of protein especially for vegetarians. Some people are wondering whether it is possible to replace their body’s need of animal protein with sometimes more veggies. Well, it is totally possible because pinto beans contain enough amount of protein to fulfill your daily intake without consuming red meat.

Aslo read: Health Benefits Celery Weight Loss

  1. Promotes Healthy Arteries and Veins

Healthy arteries and veins will affect your cardiovascular condition significantly. The amount of magnesium found in pinto beans is enough to relax your arteries and veins because it is a natural calcium channel blocker. This condition will assist in improving the blood flow and put less resistance to the arteries, veins and of course heart.

  1. Improves Blood Flow

There are a lot of benefits you could get from healthy blood flow. Your veins and arteries are not supposed to work too hard as well as your heart. Healthy heart pace will affect your whole metabolism system. Blood is also bringing oxygen and each body cell in your body needs oxygen to function optimally.

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  1. Optimal Distribution of Oxygen

Oxygenated cells will make you feel more energized because cells could not function optimally without oxygen. Oxygen will be brought by hemoglobin in red blood cells. Pinto beans will make sure your body gets enough red blood cells to distribute oxygen throughout the body.

  1. Lowers Cholesterol Level

Insoluble fiber found in pinto beans also responsible in lowering the cholesterol level from inside the intestine. Fiber will bind the excessive amount of bad cholesterol in your intestine to be washed off and only leave your body with all the good cholesterol for your body to maintain.

Also read: Foods that Lower Cholesterol Level

  1. Reduces the Risk of Stroke

Just like heart attack, stroke is the reverse of it. The accumulation of blood clots inside the veins or arteries are one of the main reasons of stroke. Brain is not getting enough oxygen to function and that’s how stroke happens. This condition could be fatal and even the survivor of stroke sometimes should suffer minor or major damage in their nerve system.

  1. Natural Energy Booster

One of the reasons why pinto beans are considered to be staple food in some countries is because they are natural energy booster. Carbohydrate found in pinto beans is great source of energy. Furthermore, for those who don’t consider them as staple food still able to combine pinto beans with other staple foods like rice or brown rice.

  1. Stabilizes the Blood Sugar Level

What you need to stabilize your blood sugar level is consuming foods that could provide you slow and steady burning energy. This condition will prevent the spike that could cause the raise of blood sugar level in bloodstream. Luckily, pinto beans contain enough amount of dietary fiber will control the release of insulin that will affect in stabilizing the level of blood sugar.

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  1. Recommended for Women during Menstrual Period

During menstrual periods there are some annoying conditions that only women could understand. Uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, headache and nausea are common symptoms during the period. Actually, those conditions happen when body is lack of oxygen from red blood cells. Pinto beans could help women dealing with those conditions in no time.

  1. Treats Anemia Naturally

Anemia could be suffered by anyone who is suffering from iron deficiency though conditions like lack of sleep could be the trigger of this condition as well. However, consuming food rich of minerals, especially iron could treat anemia naturally. Pinto beans which are rich of iron could make sure enough stock of red blood cells to prevent anemia.

Also read: Symptoms of Anemia

  1. Prevent Iron Deficiency

Women during menstrual period, women during pregnancy and even men with bad diet habit could suffer from iron deficiency. During pregnancy, iron deficiency could be fatal, not only for the mother but also for the baby. That’s why consuming food high in iron and other minerals are highly recommended and pinto beans are highly recommended in this matter.

Also read: Side Effects of Taking Calcium and Iron Together

  1. Good Food during Development Ages

Red blood cells are essential for development and folate are prominent to make sure brain is function optimally during development. That’s why pinto beans which is so rich of minerals especially magnesium and iron which could promote the production of red blood cells are highly recommended for children during development age.

  1. Super Food during Pregnancy

A pregnant mother should really aware about how important the development of their fetus in the first three semester. Mother should consume high nutrients foods rich of vitamin and minerals. Pinto beans are the great source of folate that is essential for mother during pregnancy because folate has big contribution in brain and nerve system development.

Also read: Health Benefits of Edamame during Pregnancy

  1. Prevent Birth Defect

One of the main factro why a baby born with birth defect is underweight. The fetus doesn’t get enough red blood cells to develop or calcium. Since the only source of nutrients are coming only from the food consumed by the mother, so a pregnant mother should consume high nutrients food that are rich of minerals and vitamins to prevent this fatal condition.

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  1. Recommended for Lactating Mother

Not only during pregnancy, after a mother gave birth to a beautiful baby, she still needs to breastfeed. To make sure enough stock of breast milk, a mother should consume high nutrients food. Pinto beans contain certain type of vitamin B complex that is essential to mother during lactating process.

Also read: Health Benefits of Cauliflower during Pregnancy

  1. Great for Memory

Having great memory when you are young will give you a lot of benefits during school or work. However, the perk of having great memory is beyond that because those who have great memory will get lower risk of Alzheimer. The thiamine or vitamin B1 found in pinto beans is the reasons why these beans are great food for brain.

  1. Improves Your Nervous System

Not only your memory that will be affected when you are consuming pinto beans in daily basis but also your nervous system. Healthy nervous system will decrease the risk of cognitive decline when you reach senior age. So, consuming pinto beans are like great investment during young age for great senior age.

  1. Solution to Hair Fall

Many researches and studies have found that there is a close relation between the lack of potassium in the body and hair fall. As mentioned in the table above, pinto beans are rich of potassium, so in other words, they are great solution to deal with your hair fall. Minerals found in pinto beans also great for your scalp health that will assist in stimulating the healthier and shiner hair growth.

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  1. Treats Dry Skin Problem

When you find your skin is easily get irritation, scaliness, redness and other type of skin problems like abnormal pigmentation and dermatitis, perhaps you are suffering from vitamin B deficiency. You don’t need to meet a professional to deal with those condition just improve your diet and put pinto beans to your daily diet.

Also read: Health Benefits of Tea Tree Oil for SkinHealth Benefits of Honey

  1. Natural Body Detox

Your body is needed to be detoxified regularly or some unnecessary properties will be stacked up inside your body which cause you no good and totally harmful for your metabolism. Pinto beans contain a rare mineral best known as molybdenum that can help you detoxifying your body. So now you are no longer need to rely on artificial detox products because as long as you consume pinto beans in moderate amount there is no such side effects you should worry about.

Also read: Health Benefits of Apple and Cucumber Juice

  1. Prevent Stomach Cancer

Unhealthy metabolism and unhealthy digestion system could lead to stomach cancer. Though the amount of vitamin C in pinto beans is low but still they are containing certain antioxidants that are great to prevent the development of cancerous cells. Furthermore, fiber from pinto beans will keep your digestive tract in its best performance to prevent all kinds of stomach problems that could lead to serious condition like cancer.

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Pinto Beans’ Word of Cautions

Pinto beans are great source of energy, packed with plant protein and make them great protein replacement for vegetarian. However, with all the health benefits mentioned above, there are some, not much, word of cautions about pinto beans you should aware of.

  • Those who are currently suffering from kidney stones should avoid eating pinto beans due to high amount of calcium like potassium that could make the condition worse.
  • Pinto beans contain purines in relatively high amount, so if you are sensitive to this compound is better to avoid consuming pinto beans in all cost.
  • For practical reasons, people prefer to choose canned pinto beans over the fresh ones. Well, you have to be really careful because canned pinto beans contain higher sodium and even the fresh ones contain sodium as well.

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Right now is quite easy to find pinto beans in the marketplace and they are available fresh, dried or canned. Fresh pinto beans always the best though cooking them takes some times, you should know when you are about to serve fresh pinto beans, you should pre-soak pinto beans before you cook it. Soak them with minimal 8 hours or more for better and tastier texture. There are many health benefits of pinto beans.

If you don’t have 8 hours, you can boil them first and then let them cook down for two hours before you cook them. Canned pinto beans are the easiest to serve but you have to be careful with the high sodium content. Furthermore, canned pinto contains less nutrients than the fresh one, so the nutritional value mentioned above cannot be applied to canned pinto beans. Dried pinto beans are widely found in Asia marketplace but also favorite choice among Americans because they are easy to be stored and available in all seasons.

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