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| Many people are surprised to learn that beans are actually a vegetable. Consumer research shows less than half of Americans correctly identified beans as a vegetable. Not many other foods provide such a nutrient-rich package as beans. Beans 1 have more fiber and protein than any other vegetable.
They also provide other key nutrients that often are lacking in the diet, such as fiber, potassium and magnesium for adults, adolescents and children, and folate and iron for women of childbearing age who may become pregnant. 2 “Beans. The Vegetable With More.™” refers to these unique benefits that beans provide. |
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Despite differences in shapes, sizes, colors, textures and flavors, beans are surprisingly similar in nutrient composition. Beans are good-to-excellent sources of eight important nutrients: |
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| *Based on average % Daily Values of ½ cup servings of baby lima beans, black beans, blackeye peas, cranberry beans, garbanzo beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans. |
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Beans hold an important place in MyPyramid, the USDA’s recommended eating plan for Americans. Because of their nutrient content, beans and peas are the only foods that appear in two different food groups: Meat & Beans and Vegetables.
Why? Beans fit into two groups because they have a nutrient profile similar to other foods in both groups. Because they are a good source of protein and iron, beans are listed in the Meat & Beans Group. Even better, unlike some other foods in this group, beans provide a low-fat, saturated fat-free, and cholesterol-free source of protein.
And, because beans are a plant-based food that provide fiber, folate, potassium and antioxidants, they also are listed in the Vegetable Group. |
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1 And legumes. Source: USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (2.0) based on combined grams of fiber and protein per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed.
2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.
3 My Pyramid.gov
4 “Health Claims: Adequate folate in healthful diets may reduce a woman’s risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord birth defect.” Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Pt. 101, Sec 79, 2007 ed.
5 “Health Claims: Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain some types of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of heart disease, a disease associated with many factors.” Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Pt. 101, Sec 77, 2007 ed.
6 Institute of Medicine. 2001. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press.
7 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans |
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