Cholesterol In Pinto Beans

Beans are a source of protein that rivals red meat but costs only about 20 cents a serving. Pinto beans are low in fat, but contain calcium and iron as well as some vitamins, including vitamin C, thiamine and folate. Pinto beans have no cholesterol, and they offer other nutritional benefits that promote good health.

Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are a type of legume that are usually sold dry in packages, but may also be found cooked and canned. Pinto beans originally come from Peru, but their use in dishes and recipes has spread throughout the world. According to the World's Healthiest Foods resource, Americans consume pinto beans more than any other type of dried bean.One half cup serving of pinto beans contains 116 calories and 22 grams of carbohydrates.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is often thought of as being a negative dietary component, but some types of cholesterol are beneficial for your health. The American Heart Association states that there are two main types of cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is the cholesterol that accumulates in your arteries, while high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is the good cholesterol that works to remove excess LDL from the body. Although one half-cup serving of pinto beans contains no cholesterol, you will add cholesterol to your meal if you prepare pinto beans with sources of saturated fat or cholesterol, such as butter or lard. You can keep overall cholesterol levels low by preparing pinto beans with other vegetables or using oil that contains unsaturated fat, such as olive oil.

Considerations

One cup of cooked pinto beans contains 14.7 grams of dietary fiber, which is almost 60 percent of the recommended daily intake. Soluble fiber attaches to cholesterol in the intestine so that it can be excreted from the body. In a 2007 study in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition," Donna Winham, an assistant professor of nutrition at Arizona State University, found that daily consumption of one-half cup of pinto beans can lower cholesterol levels by more than 8 percent, a greater decrease than eating oatmeal daily.

Benefits

According to the Idaho Bean Commission, one-half cup of pinto beans contains less than 0.5 grams of dietary fat, most of which is considered to be polyunsaturated fat. There are several types of fats found in food, including saturated and unsaturated. Polyunsaturated fat is a type of healthy fat that can help to lower levels of LDL cholesterol. The Mayo Clinic states that replacing foods with saturated fats with those that contain mostly unsaturated fats can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Recommendations

According to the Food Guide Pyramid of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pinto beans fall into two categories: the meat and beans group or the vegetable group. Because pinto beans contain protein and other nutrients important for overall health, these agencies recommend eating at least 3 cups of beans each week.