If your doctor puts you on a bland diet, you need to skip the refried beans for now. A bland diet, used to treat ulcer, nausea, vomiting and heartburn, among other disorders, stresses foods that are soft, low in fiber and not spicy, according to the MedlinePlus website. Refried beans make the grade on the softness factor but not on the other two.
Fiber Content
The whole purpose of a bland diet is to give you digestive tract a rest. Refried beans are high in fiber. Your body doesn't digest fiber, so it passes through your intestinal tract intact. The purpose of the bland diet is to produce as little residue as possible. One cup of refried beans contains 12 g of fiber; the average American eats 15 g of fiber per day, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Gas-Producing Properties
If there is one thing that beans have a reputation for, it's not giving your intestines a rest. Refried beans, like other beans, are major intestinal gas producers. Both the sugar raffinose found in beans and the soluble fiber, which breaks down somewhat in the large intestine, producing gas, contribute to the bean's gassy reputation. Refried beans often contain spicy additions such as hot peppers and onions, which can cause stomach irritation and add to gas production.
Fat
Foods containing fat are also off the bland diet list. Because they're fried, refried beans also fail the blandness test on their fat content, although they don't contain as much fat as you might think. One cup of refried beans supplies 2.78 g of fat, with just under 1 g of saturated fat.
Considerations
Refried beans can irritate your intestines in a variety of ways, from stomach irritation from the spices to extra gas production. A bland diet is usually a temporary measure to give your damaged intestines a chance to heal. While skipping your favorite foods may seem hard at the time, you'll heal more quickly and get back to a regular diet sooner if you follow the dietary rules.
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