Calories in Cooked Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are often overlooked in the food world. But these inexpensive and easy-to-prepare beans are not only low in calories and fat, they're packed with vitamins and nutrients to fill you up and nourish your body.

Calories

A 1/2-cup serving of cooked pinto beans contains 122 calories, according to Fruits & Veggies More Matters. Just five of these 122 calories come from fat.

Nutrition

One-half cup of pinto beans contains 8 g of protein and 32 percent of the recommended daily value of dietary fiber. Together, the high protein and fiber content of pinto beans helps to satisfy you and keep you full for hours on a small number of calories.

Tips

Pinto beans are a good source of B vitamins and potassium, and are high in folate. To cook dried beans without losing many nutrients, try soaking them, then simmering them in the soaking water for several hours to break down the gas-causing carbohydrates, recommends The New York Times.

References

• Fruits & Veggies More Matters: Pinto Beans
• New Mexico State University: Using Pinto Beans
• New York Times Health: A Better Way to Boil Beans, and Sauté