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Pinto Beans in Low-Carb Diets

Jun 14, 2011 | By Karen Frazier
Pinto Beans in Low-Carb Diets
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Many modified low-carbohydrate diets allow some legumes, such as peanuts, beans and lentils. The glycemic index of these types of foods typically determine whether or not such foods will further the goal of the low-carbohydrate diet, which is usually weight loss. Even traditional low-carbohydrate diets, such as Atkins Diet, allow you to begin to add in legumes in later phases of the diet.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates contain sugars. Simple carbohydrates contain one or two sugars, and they significantly impact blood glucose. Table sugar, dairy products, fruit, candy and baked goods all contain simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates cause a sustained rise in blood glucose. They contain three or more sugars. Whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds all contain complex carbohydrates. Fiber is also a carbohydrate, but it isn't absorbed through the intestines, so its effect on blood glucose is negligible.

Low-Carb Diets

Low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins, Protein Power and Zone, restrict carbohydrate intake. In early phases of the Atkins Diet, Dr. Atkins recommended eating fewer than 20g of carbohydrates per day and getting those carbohydrates from leafy green vegetables.The Protein Power diet recommends eating 7 to 10g of effective carbohydrates per meal or snack. You can calculate effective carbohydrates by subtracting grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate count. While the diet's creators don't recommend eating sugar, they do suggest you can get those carbohydrates from any source, including legumes, such as pinto beans. Zone recommends eating 30 percent of your calories at each meal from carbohydrates. Dr. Barry Sears, the diet's creator, suggests you select favorable carbohydrates, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit and legumes.

Insulin and Weight Loss

In "Good Calories, Bad Calories," Gary Taubes explains the link between carbohydrate restriction and weight loss. According to Taubes, when carbohydrates cause blood glucose to rise, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin escorts the food into fat storage and prevents your body from burning stored fat as fuel. When you limit carbohydrates, you limit the amount of insulin in your bloodstream, and your body burns stored fat as its primary source of fuel. The result is weight loss.

Glycemic Load

In the glycemic index, each carbohydrate receives a rating for its effect on blood glucose. The more a carbohydrate affects blood glucose, the higher its glycemic index. Foods with a glycemic index rating of 50 or higher have a high glycemic index, which significantly impacts blood sugar and causes insulin release.

Pinto Beans and Other Legumes

Many legumes are low-glycemic foods. Kidney beans, for example, have a glycemic index of 42 and black beans have a glycemic index of 43. Pinto beans are moderate glycemic foods with a glycemic index of 55. One half cup of pinto beans has 22g of carbohydrates and 8g of fiber. While both the glycemic index of the beans and the amount of carbohydrates per serving are too high for low-glycemic and early stages of Atkins-style diets, you may be able to incorporate pinto beans into other types of low-carbohydrate diets, such as Protein Power, which uses effective carbohydrates instead of total carbohydrates. This makes the effective carbohydrate count of pinto beans 14g per 1/2-cup serving, which falls within the range of Protein Power's later stage recommendations of 15g of effective carbohydrates per meal or snack. Zone dieters can also eat pinto beans as part of the 30 percent of their calories from carbohydrates.

Research

Research suggests that low-carbohydrate diets are effective tools for weight loss; however, the effect of glycemic load on weight loss remains unclear. A 2005 University of South Carolina study printed in "Diabetes Care" studied glycemic index and glycemic load and concluded that glycemic index may not be related to issues of insulin production and sensitivity. A 2010 Temple University Study printed in "Annals of Internal Medicine" studied low-carb and low-fat dieters for two years and concluded that both diets were effective at producing weight loss.

Considerations

The USDA's MyPyramid suggests eating a variety of foods, including complex carbohydrates from whole grains and legumes. Most low-carbohydrate diets do not meet these guidelines. By adding legumes to a low-carbohydrate diet, you may be able to increase the fiber levels of the diet and create a diet that is more in line with the USDA's recommendations.

References

Article reviewed by Elizabeth Ahders Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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