Pinto beans are a legumes; small beans often associated with Mexican cuisine. In fact, refried beans are most often made from pinto beans. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, pinto beans are beige dotted with splashes of reddish-brown color. Thus, they are like painted canvases and the name "pinto" is Spanish for "painted." Pinto beans are rich in many nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals. Like most starchy beans, they are very high in dietary fiber, which offers additional health benefits.
Macronutrients
Pinto beans are an excellent food source of lean protein and energizing carbohydrates. According to ELook.org, 1 cup, cooked, provides 15 g of protein and 45 g of carbohydrates. Pinto beans are not a "complete" protein source, or one that provides all nine essential amino acids, like animal foods do. However, when paired with a whole grain you can enjoy a "complete" protein meal.
Protein and carbohydrates are nutrients required in larger quantities daily for optimum health. Carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy source whereas amino acids, the building blocks of protein, make up the structure of cells, tissues and muscles. In addition, amino acids are needed to make some hormones, enzymes and all antibodies---thus, protein is essential for a healthy immune system, according to the McKinley Health Center.
Vitamins and Minerals
Pinto beans are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Thus, they are a nutrient-dense food, or one that provides more nutrients per calorie than calories per nutrient. Pinto beans are especially rich in folate, also known as vitamin B9; thiamin, also known as vitamin B1; the major minerals magnesium, phosphorus and potassium; as well as trace minerals such as molybdenum, manganese, copper and iron. One cup of cooked pinto beans meets more than 20 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for each of those nutrients.
These nutrients are essential for optimal bodily functions. Some of these functions include aiding in energy metabolism, building and maintaining strong, healthy bones, regulating blood pressure, ensuring proper function of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, reducing blood pressure, transporting oxygen throughout the body and helping to form red blood cells and connective tissues.
Full of Fiber
Pinto beans are very high in dietary fiber, meeting nearly 60 percent of your daily requirement per 1 cup, cooked. Pinto beans are rich in both types of dietary fiber, insoluble, or roughage, and soluble. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the benefits of consuming a diet rich in insoluble dietary fiber include normalizing bowel movements and maintaining a healthy digestive system. Soluble fiber helps to control blood sugar levels by delaying stomach emptying and lowering blood cholesterol levels, particularly LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels. Both types of dietary fiber may aid in weight management.
References
- World's Healthiest Foods: Pinto Beans
- ELook.org: Nutrition Information: Mature pinto beans, cooked
- McKinley Health Center: Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat
- Australian Government: Department of Health and Aging--Vitamin and Mineral Functions
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber - Essential for a Healthy Diet
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