There are lots of reasons to put beans on your shopping list. Beans are an excellent source of fiber, and any food that’s high in fiber will be filling, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a physician based in Bethesda, Maryland, and the author of Doctor’s Detox Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss Prescription.
A 1/2-can serving of black beans has 8.3 grams (g) of fiber, or 30 percent of your daily value (DV).
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Meanwhile, a 1/2 can of red kidney beans has 7.3 g of fiber, or 26 percent of your DV.
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A 1/2 can of garbanzo beans has 8.1 g of fiber, or 29 percent of your DV.
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Plus, fiber helps fill you up without adding any calories to food (since our bodies can’t digest fiber), explains Kelly Kennedy, RDN, staff registered dietitian-nutritionist formerly for Everyday Health. Fiber also takes longer to digest and adds bulk to food, she adds.
A veggie chili or a bean-based stew will fill you up without weighing you down, suggests Kennedy. She also loves the convenience of canned beans, which can be rinsed (to reduce the sodium content) and added to a rice dish or on top of a salad for more protein and fiber.
