Hello! I'm going to post this question in a few different threads, I'll probably get many different answers. I made some homemade Chili today, I used canned red kidney beans and canned pinto beans. The calories are on the side of the cans, but they don't state whether they're drained. The kidney beans servings Per container is about 3.5 @120 calories: 3.5 X 120 = 420 calories. I drained them and the beans weigh 9.3 oz. I looked up drained beans in a calorie counting book and the total calories we 94. That's a huge difference, could the liquid have that many calories in them? How would you could the calories?
did the calorie count book say "drained kidney beans," or "drained beans," as they might have been referring to drained green beens, perhaps? There's quite a variation in calories, even among different variety of beans, so the can would be the more accurate count.
My understanding is that the liquid (unless it's a sauce) would not have many calories, and the calorie count on the can would be the most accurate, whether you drain the beans or not.
I've always understood the nutritional info on the side of the can to be for drained beans, since most recipes call for them to be drained. That and I always drain and rinse mine to get rid of excess salt.
BTW, Bobbolink! I don't think we frequent the same area of 3fc anymore, good to see you!
Hello! I looked up drained beans in a calorie counting book and the total calories we 94. That's a huge difference, could the liquid have that many calories in them? How would you could the calories?
How much beans for 94 calories? The water is usually just water and salt. Draining and rinsing them reduces the sodium and some of the starches that can cause gas.
Hey Bobbolink - please see forum rules about cross-posting. I've combined all the responses you've gotten so far here.
Sorry, I didn't know about that rule. Kaplods...the calorie book didn't say either drained or undrained, just 1/2 cup = calories ran from 70 to 120 per 1/2 cup. Depending on brand. Zenor...Hi, nice to hear from you again. Murphmitch 9 3/8 oz equaled 94 calories in one place.'
I just emailed Bush's Beans and talked to "Duke". I will get back to you when I receive an answer to my question. I did google this question and received the following:
Quote:
Pinto Beans
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 c. dry (1/2 c. cooked) Amount per Serving Calories 60 Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value * Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 15mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 10g 40%
Sugars 1g Protein 9g 18%
Vitamin A0%
Vitamin C0%
Calcium2%
Iron15%
Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 0.0% Carbs 153.3% Protein 60.0% Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 4 oz cooked / 1 order Amount per Serving Calories 66 Calories from Fat 6
% Daily Value * Total Fat 0.62g1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 226.71mg 9% Total Carbohydrate 11.76g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Protein 3.75g 8%
Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 8.5% Carbs 71.3% Protein 22.7%
I'll wait until I hear from Bush's, but it sounds like my chili recipe has far fewer calories than the can states.
One factor might be added sugar. It's hard to find a can of kidney beans without added sugar. I'm not sure how much is in there and how it would affect the calorie count of the liquid, but it could make a difference.
I would consider the cans nutritional information to be the most accurate, and would use that. My guess is that it's 120 calories per 1/2 cup serving.
I've found in canned foods, that I have to ignore the number of servings. That's often not very accurate (something that estimates 3.5 servings could be anywhere from under 3.25 to over 3.75), so I go by the serving size. If it says a 1/2 cup serving, I measure 1/2 cup servings (and usually it is, the drained measure).
For most canned beans, unless they are in some sort of sauce, the liquid is usually just water, sodium, and preservatives. There's no calories in any of those things, so even if the calories stated on the package are for an undrained serving (and, if it is for a drained serving, the package has to say so), draining off the water isn't going to reduce the calories at all. All of the calories are in the beans themselves.
Even if sugar is added to the beans, as is the case of kidney beans, my guess is that it isn't that much and, since some of the calories in the sugar will have been absorbed by the beans while they sat in the can, pouring off the water probably doesn't really reduce the calories that much. Then, when you add the can of beans to a recipe that is divided into several portions, the impact of pouring off the water (and sugar) is even less--possibly only a few calories per serving. Since there's really no way to know for sure how much sugar is in the water you are pouring off, it's probably best to assume the full number of calories listed on the package.
If there is a discrepancy between what the manufacturer says is the nutritional data and another source, I always go with the manufacturer's information. They have the most up to date information on their products. With a book or a website, you're getting second hand info (which introduces additional opportunities for error) that may not be completely up to date. The only exception would be if I can tell that the manufacturer's info is just plain wrong. For example, my grocery store carries a brand of dried yellow peas that claims only 40 calories per 1/4 cup. I know this is wrong (I wish it were true because I could make some awesome low calorie Dal if it were). But I know that dried peas have around 120 calories per 1/4 cup, so in this case I would go with info obtained elsewhere.
One thing that might account for the difference in calories reported in your book vs. the label on the can, however, is the fiber content. Our bodies can't absorb fiber, so those calories don't really "count." But it's up to the food manufacturer and the book to decide whether or not to include fiber in the calories listed. For example, some brands of pinto beans at my grocery store list the calories as 80 per serving and other list the calories as 110 per serving. Both list 6g of fiber, which equates to about 24 calories. So my guess is that the brand listing 80 calories per serving has already subtracted the fiber and the brand that lists 110 calories per serving hasn't (and then there's also some rounding going on).
Last edited by BlueToBlue; 08-27-2008 at 10:05 PM.
Thank you for all that responded with my question. I emailed Bush's Beans yesterday and received the following email this morning:
Quote:
Thank you for contacting us. If you are using the regular pinto beans, not the seasoned ones, there are no calories in any of the juice - the juice is brine which is salt and water...so there are no calories in it only in the beans. Draining the juice does reduce the sodium level, and this is always helpful in dieting!!
What a nice, personal response from Bush's The last time I emailed a corporation (Starbucks) I got a poorly written semi-form letter where it was obvious the person didn't read my entire email.
Calories in drained beans?
Bobbolink! I don't think we frequent the same area of 3fc anymore, good to see you! 
The last time I emailed a corporation (Starbucks) I got a poorly written semi-form letter where it was obvious the person didn't read my entire email.
