Benefits of Pinto Beans
Pinto beans as well as other beans like navy beans, kidney beans and black beans are all known scientifically as Phaseolus vulgaris. This might be acceptable from the fact that all these species originated from the same ancestry roots of common bean. A terrifically delightful, nutritious and nutty flavored bean have proved to be a great caretaker of our health, Pinto Bean is thought to be the most common bean. It is an herbaceous annual plant domesticated independently in Americas, and now grown worldwide because of its edible bean, popular both dry and as a green bean. Leaves are occasionally used as a leaf vegetable, and the straw is used for fodder. Burke, Hidatsa, Maverick, Othello and sierra are some popular varieties of pinto beans grown worldwide. It is called pinto beans because of their skin, which look like a pinto horse.
Provides Protein
If you eat a 3-ounce serving of fish, meat or poultry, or a cup of soybeans, you'll get 20 to 25 grams of protein, according to the Institute of Medicine. While these foods represent those with the highest amount of protein, pinto beans aren't far behind. You’ll get 15 grams of lean protein from 1 cup of boiled pinto beans. This serving provides 33 percent of women's and 27 percent of men's recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of protein. A 1-cup serving of boiled pinto beans contains 245 calories and just 1 gram of fat.
Rich in Fiber
There are 15 grams of fiber in one cup of boiled pinto beans and it provides 60 percent of your daily value based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. If you add pinto beans to your diet gradually and eat them regularly, your body has time to adjust, and you can avoid gaseous side effects, according to FamilyDoctor.org. When participants in a research study ate 1/2 cup of pinto beans, baked beans or black-eyed peas daily, 70 percent of those who experienced flatulence in the first week reported it was gone after eating beans regularly for several weeks, according to the November 2011 issue of the “Nutrition Journal.”
Rich Source of Nutrients
Regulations established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration define a rich, or excellent, source of nutrients as any food that contains at least 20 percent of the RDA for the nutrient in one serving. If you consume 1 cup of boiled pinto beans, they’re an excellent source of iron, magnesium, manganese, thiamin and vitamin B-6. They’re exceptionally high in folate, too. One cup of boiled pinto beans supplies 294 micrograms of folate, which is 74 percent of the RDA of 400 micrograms. The same portion also provides at least 10 percent of your daily value for potassium and selenium, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Pinto beans can help improve your nervous system
Molybdenum also helps in cell energy production and development of the nervous system. Pinto beans also provide the brain the necessary amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Some vitamins, including folate or folic acid, play a significant role in the regulation of specific amino acids that the nervous system requires. Studies have shown that a deficient amount of dietary folate can increase the homocysteine levels, which can be a dangerous precursor to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Pinto beans are an excellent source of thiamin
Thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin of the B-complex. Thiamin can be used in to form of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) to assist in breaking down sugars and amino acids. Thiamin also helps in the creation of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Pinto beans can help with blood formation
Copper and iron are essential for the new blood cell formation. One cup of pinto beans contains 20 percent and 19 percent of the recommended value of iron and copper, respectively. A deficiency of iron can lead to anemia.
Pinto beans are helpful for pregnant women and their babies
Pinto beans are a good source of the B-vitamin complex, such as folate. Folate has shown to help in neural tube formation and red blood cell formation in prenatal babies. A deficiency of folic acid in pregnant women can lead to the birth of underweight infants and may also result in neural tube defects in newborns. One cup of lima beans contains 74 percent of the daily recommended value of pinto beans.
Good source of choline
Choline is usually grouped in the B-complex vitamins. This water-soluble nutrient is found in two classes of cell membranes found in nerve cells, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin. Choline is also a precursor molecule for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in many functions including memory and muscle control. Pinto beans contain 60.4 milligrams of choline per one cup serving.
Healthy blood pressure
Pinto beans have a very high content of potassium and a low content of sodium. One cup of Pinto beans contains a whopping 746 milligrams of potassium, compared to 1.7 milligrams of sodium. Folate also contributes to the reduction of hypertension and relaxes blood vessels, while maintaining proper blood flow.
Compared to Canned
The canning process depletes some nutrients. Canned pinto beans retain less iron, magnesium and potassium. They also have four times less thiamin and riboflavin than boiled pinto beans. Canned pinto beans have seven times less folate than boiled beans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On the other hand, canned beans contain significantly more sodium. Pinto beans that are boiled without adding salt to the water only have 2 milligrams of sodium in a 1-cup serving, compared to canned pinto beans with 409 milligrams. You can reduce the sodium by purchasing low-sodium brands or by draining canned beans and then rinsing them under water.
Pinto beans seeds, cooked, without salt
Nutritional value of Pinto Beans
Serving Size: 1 Cup, 171 g
Calories 245 Kcal.Calories from Fat 9.99 Kcal.
| Proximity | Amount | % DV |
|---|
| Water | 107.64 g | N/D |
| Energy | 245 Kcal | N/D |
| Energy | 1026 kJ | N/D |
| Protein | 15.41 g | 30.82% |
| Total Fat (lipid) | 1.11 g | 3.17% |
| Ash | 2 g | N/D |
| Carbohydrate | 44.84 g | 34.49% |
| Total dietary Fiber | 15.4 g | 40.53% |
| Total Sugars | 0.58 g | N/D |
| Sucrose | 0.58 g | N/D |
| Starch | 25.91 g | N/D |
| Minerals | Amount | % DV |
|---|
| Calcium, Ca | 79 mg | 7.90% |
| Iron, Fe | 3.57 mg | 44.63% |
| Magnesium, Mg | 86 mg | 20.48% |
| Phosphorus, P | 251 mg | 35.86% |
| Potassium, K | 746 mg | 15.87% |
| Sodium, Na | 2 mg | 0.13% |
| Zinc, Zn | 1.68 mg | 15.27% |
| Copper, Cu | 0.374 mg | 41.56% |
| Manganese, Mn | 0.775 mg | 33.70% |
| Selenium, Se | 10.6 µg | 19.27% |
| Fluoride | 3.8 µg | 0.10% |
| Vitamins | Amount | % DV |
|---|
| Water soluble Vitamins | | |
|---|
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.33 mg | 27.50% |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.106 mg | 8.15% |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.544 mg | 3.40% |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.359 mg | 7.18% |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.392 mg | 30.15% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate, Folic acid) | 294 µg | 73.50% |
| Folate, DEF | 294 µg | N/D |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) | 1.4 mg | 1.56% |
| Fat soluble Vitamins | | |
|---|
| Betaine | 0.2 mg | N/D |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 1.61 mg | 10.73% |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 6 µg | 5.00% |
| Lipids | Amount | % DV |
|---|
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.233 g | 0.36% |
| Palmitic acid 16:00 (Hexadecanoic acid) | 0.227 g | N/D |
| Stearic acid 18:00 (Octadecanoic acid) | 0.005 g | N/D |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.227 g | N/D |
| Oleic acid 18:1 (octadecenoic acid) | 0.227 g | N/D |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.402 g | 2.36% |
| Linoleic acid 18:2 (octadecadienoic acid) | 0.168 g | N/D |
| Linolenic acid 18:3 (Octadecatrienoic acid) | 0.234 g | N/D |
| Amino Acids | Amount | % DV |
|---|
| Tryptophan | 0.185 g | 42.05% |
| Threonine | 0.566 g | 32.16% |
| Isoleucine | 0.728 g | 43.54% |
| Leucine | 1.308 g | 35.39% |
| Lysine | 1.077 g | 32.21% |
| Methionine | 0.2 g | N/D |
| Cystine | 0.144 g | N/D |
| Phenylalanine | 0.908 g | N/D |
| Tyrosine | 0.364 g | N/D |
| Valine | 0.887 g | 42.00% |
| Arginine | 0.845 g | N/D |
| Histidine | 0.422 g | 34.25% |
| Alanine | 0.699 g | N/D |
| Aspartic acid | 1.929 g | N/D |
| Glutamic acid | 2.474 g | N/D |
| Glycine | 0.624 g | N/D |
| Proline | 0.881 g | N/D |
| Serine | 0.966 g | N/D |
| Flavonoids | | |
| Proanthocyanidin dimers | 7.5 mg | N/D |
| Proanthocyanidin trimers | 6.7 mg | N/D |
| Proanthocyanidin 4-6mers | 18 mg | N/D |
| Proanthocyanidin 7-10mers | 7.4 mg | N/D |
| Proanthocyanidin polymers (>10mers) | 2.4 mg | N/D |
*Above mentioned Percent Daily Values (%DVs) are based on 2,000 calorie diet intake. Daily values (DVs) may be different depending upon your daily calorie needs. Mentioned values are recommended by a U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are not healthbenefitstimes.com recommendations. Calculations are based on average age of 19 to 50 years and weighs 194 lbs.
Source:
United States Department of Agriculture
The cranberry is perhaps best known for its role in preventing UTIs, especially for those with recurrent infections. The high level of proanthocyanidins (PACs) in cranberries helps reduce the adhesion of certain bacteria to the urinary tract walls, in turn fighting off infections.
Consuming dried cranberries will supply very little amounts of an individual's daily requirement for vitamins and minerals. The most substantial daily amount supplied is the mineral is manganese at 5% daily recommended intake. 
