How Much Protein is in Beans and Rice?

Rice and beans may seem like a simplistic meal without enough protein or nutrition. However, it turns out that rice and bean dishes are full of complete proteins, carbs, protein, and nutrients you may need for a vegan diet or fitness plan. They are also very tasty.

Rice and beans are both incomplete, plant-based proteins that, when eaten together, form a complete protein. Eating rice and beans together can give you a lot of fiber, carbs, complete protein, and other good things for you.

You may learn that there are different kinds of protein when you look into the best protein-rich diets for weight loss or building muscle. You may come across the terms “complete” or “incomplete” proteins.

It says in the Food Most complete proteins come from animal-based foods, like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products.

Some complete protein examples include chicken, salmon and tuna. Most plant-based proteins don’t have all nine essential amino acids, but soy is the only one that is thought to be a complete protein.

The nine essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. In order for the body to do many things, like build muscle, make skin grow, and fuel organs, these nutrients are needed.

Most plant-based proteins dont contain all nine essential amino acids. Beans, for example, are missing an amino acid known as methionine, according to the American Society for Nutrition.

Other plant-based protein foods, like nuts or pea protein, often lack lysine, an important amino acid. Beans, however, contain lysine.

There is a better way to solve this problem: combine different plant-based sources, like whole grains, so your body gets all the amino acids it needs. There are ways to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet and still get all nine essential amino acids. For example, you can mix beans and grains to get both methionine and lysine, along with the other amino acids.

This is where rice and beans come in. The FDA says that rice and beans are both incomplete proteins when eaten alone, but they are complementary proteins when eaten together.

When consumed together, each provides the amino acids that the other lacks. Rice doesnt have enough lysine, but beans do. Meanwhile, rice has high levels of the amino acid methionine, which beans lack.

Together, rice and bean dishes become complete protein examples. Same thing goes for peanut butter and whole wheat bread, which is why these two dishes can be very filling even without meat.

Being a good source of plant-based protein and having a lot of fiber, beans are well-known. But they’re also good for you in many other ways, and it turns out that they are the most nutritious part of a rice and bean dish.

The flowering plant family Fabaceae has pod seeds that are used to make beans. Beans are in the legume family. Lentils, peas, chickpeas and soybeans all fall into the legume category. Legumes are touted for their nutritional benefits; theyre high in fiber, in folate and in manganese. They also have very low levels of fat and sodium.

Black beans have about 15 grams of protein in a cup, while they have less than a gram of fat and sugar. Vegans and vegetarians often get their protein from beans, which are used in foods like veggie burgers.

Beans also contain phytochemical properties that work as antioxidants, according to an August 2015 study published in Nutrients. The study found that black beans could lower the amount of insulin in the body. This could help keep metabolic health in check. They may also protect against the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The American Heart Association recommends beans as good dietary choices to lower cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Thats why popular heart-healthy diets, like DASH and the Mediterranean diet, emphasize legumes and beans.

A study published in October 2015 in Clinical Diabetes also found that eating legumes and beans may lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. According to the same study, beans are full of good things for you, like fiber, protein, healthy carbs, B vitamins, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and manganese.

Rice Protein and Nutrition

You cant have a delicious rice and beans dish without the second-most-important part — the rice. People think that the rice in this combination dish is less healthy than the other two ingredients, but if you choose the right rice, it can also help your health.

Rice happens to be a staple food in many countries around the world, including Spain, China, and India. There are also thousands of different types of rice, categorized by their length and width, according to the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

One of the most popular types of rice, white rice, may not be the healthiest choice — its mostly filled with carbohydrates, and is lower in protein than brown rice. Fortunately, there are plenty of other, healthy rice options you can use to create the best ratio of rice to beans.

One cup of whole-grain rice, often referred to as brown rice, can contain up to 5 grams of protein, and also contains significant bio-available magnesium, zinc and iron. Because brown rice hasnt been refined or stripped of its bran, germ and endosperm, it contains more of the fiber and nutrients in these layers than white rice does.

Read more: Beans and Digestive Problems

Anthocyanins are healthy phytochemicals that are often found in black, purple, and red rice, according to the Harvard T H. Chan School of Public Health. These are antioxidants that are also found in berries. Black, purple, and red rice all have the bran and germ layers still in them, like brown rice. This makes them healthier options than white rice.

Rice, beans, and the “myth” of protein combining

FAQ

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