Eating Beans on Lowcarb

[TaDa!]

So, as an Atkins follower, I have to admit to not really eating beans all that often .. even though they are rung 8 on the Carb ladder and perfectly permissible if you tolerate them ... When I tried them on OWL years back now, I had some cravings and water weight associated with them .. but honestly my body has changed and I now eat peanut butter (also a legume) daily, so it is time to test it all out again sometime soon ..

Anyhow, as most know, soybeans are considered the best choice as far as lowest carb counts. I did some research today as I am planning to make a bean crockpot recipe I devised for the holiday. I usually make it without regard to carbs for my kids who love it ... I generally use a mix of whatever beans are in my cupboard, were cheapest at the store, etc. In an earlier post I found some information that indicated soybeans might cook up with a tough skin if done in a tomato base (i.e. best to add cooked soybeans before serving and just heat through).

So, anyhow, I wanted to find which beans - after soybeans - were the least carby of the lot and I went to the usda food database and this is what I came up with .. I thought it might be of interest to some of the others .. as there is a small difference among the various beans:

Bean Carb Counts (per full cup boiled beans)

black soybeans: 2 net carbs
white soybeans: 3.93 net carbs
Lentils 12 net carbs
Fava beans 14.25 net carbs
Black beans 15 net carbs
Navy beans 15.35 net carbs
Kidney beans 16.4 net carbs
Garbanzo beans 19.82 net carbs

My plan is to cook some black beans or fava beans in the crockpot as usual (i.e. soaked the night prior and added uncooked to the crockpot that morning) in a lesser quantity than usual and then just add warm cooked soybeans in right before serving. This way the carb count will be slightly lower for me.

I'd also like to try a few different ways of doing it with the soybeans .. but can't risk that this meal won't turn out well, lol! Anyhow, when I get it down to a nice lowcarb version, I will post it. I just love being able to use the crockpot!



Pauline

[Sissiesue]

Thanks for posting this! I'm glad that lentils are low on the list. They're my fave!

[TaDa!]

I know, isn't that cool!!! The bean casserole I made ended up amazing!!! The fava beans seemed a little tough though and I ended up not even putting in the soybeans, lol! I am wondering if the fava beans behave like soybeans when cooked in a tomato base as I found their skin to be a little tough -- and that was never the case when I made it with the usual kidney beans, garbanzo beans and/or black beans!

My weight did not spike at all .. once all the veggies were in there, and the cheese, I ended up eating only about 1/2 cup of actual beans in the casserole ... The kid were crazy about it .. I served theirs with the ultra-highcarb mashed potatoes, lol!

Next time I make it, I will be more mindful of quantities and post it for everyone! Sissiesue, I have a killer Lentil stew from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks. The only non-lc item is a small amount of molasses but I am ready to try it out with the brown sugar diabetisweet I bought from Netrition!

I used to make it for us, and then pour half of it in a separate pot and add chicken pieces for the carnivores and they liked it ...

[Strawberry]

Oh wow... I thought lentils had more carbs than that!! 12 net carbs for a whole cup of lentils is not bad! (esp since I wouldnt eat that much of just lentils!)

I am going to make some lentil soup!

[Strawberry]

I made a big batch of curried lentil soup!
I used about 1 and 1/2 cups of dried lentils... lots of onions, garlic, celery, a carrot, a red pepper, a can of diced tomatoes (including the juice in the can), 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and about 2 boxes of veggie stock. I added a tablespoon of yellow curry powder and a tablespoon of garam masala.

I ended up with 3 quarts of soup! (somehow I always end up making more soup than intended!) but at least the lentils are stretched over that amount so hopefully its not over carby. (i'm in maintenance, so as long as I'm eating heathy carbs, I dont try to keep carbs uber-low)

I'm topping the soup with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt! Its really good! And thick and hearty for the colder weather!

[TaDa!]

That sounds really good Strawberry! I may have to make lentil soup next week .. i've been wanting to try the one I always make from one of Mollie's Katzen's Moosewood cookbooks and sub the brown sugar diabetisweet for the molasses in the recipe ... i have all the ingredients (except celery) on hand usually ...

It is very very similar to your recipe without the Indian spices .... those sound gooood!!



Pauline

[E.W.]

It is not safe to cook kidney beens in a crock pot. Kidney beens have a toxin that can
be deadly. While cooking on the stove around boiling does get rid of this toxin the lower
tempiture of a crock pot does not. In fact it makes the toxin MORE available.

[nikki]

I have decided that I am not eating beans at all until I am on a maintenance plan. They just derail me. But since I am a vegetarian and possibly going to go gluten-free and vegan next year sometime, I will have to add beans back in to my life. I am afraid of doing this, since I got fat as a vegetarian. But I just have to remind myself to stay low-carb in other areas (such as grains and fruits) and beans should be just fine. Especially since I am working out regularly.

[Sherril]

I just found this recipe on Pinterest and low carbized it and thought I would share.

Black Bean Salad

2 15-ounce cans black soybeans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots, from one medium shallot
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 Hass avocados, chopped

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

I'll have to put in into Sparks recipes to find out the carbs and fiber count. Let me know if you try it. With the warmer weather coming, a high protein cool salad will come in handy.

[TaDa!]

Wow Sherrill That sounds really good!!!! I think my family would like it - especially for picnics this summer so they eat less chips, lol. I love those little packets of bean salad near the hummus in the stores - but so expensive and also probably have a lot of added sugar and they use regular carby beans and lentils. I am going to give this one a try - subbing splenda granular for the sugar.

Thanks!!!!

[Nigel]

That salad does sound good. I even have some black beans in the pantry. Hmmm...must be a clue for me. Thanks for the recipe.

[Sherril]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

Wow Sherrill That sounds really good!!!! I think my family would like it - especially for picnics this summer so they eat less chips, lol. I love those little packets of bean salad near the hummus in the stores - but so expensive and also probably have a lot of added sugar and they use regular carby beans and lentils. I am going to give this one a try - subbing splenda granular for the sugar.

Thanks!!!!

I didn't even notice the sugar in there. Of course splenda or Stevia would be the perfect substitute. Thanks for noticing.

[Madge17]

Nigel, I hope you noticed that Sherril's bean recipe is using black soybeans, and not regular black beans. I compared the two cans I had and was suprised at the carb differences between them. Just thought I'd mention it in case you were trying to do low carb.

[Nigel]

Originally Posted by Madge17

Nigel, I hope you noticed that Sherril's bean recipe is using black soybeans, and not regular black beans. I compared the two cans I had and was suprised at the carb differences between them. Just thought I'd mention it in case you were trying to do low carb.

Thanks for that. i didn't even notice. I am doing lower carb, not strict low carb as I lost my weight 3 years and basically am maintaining it. I'm working mostly on becoming a better vegetarian and trying to learn to cook vegetarian meals or rather, more balanced meals. I eat black beans and pinto beans about once a week, but not a lot of them. Sometimes I have a bean burger patty with condiments like a regular burger. I have a can of the black soybeans too though, so I have no excuse not to try this recipe. I've never eaten the black soybeans either, but I have eaten the regular ones. I figured there's probably not a lot of difference. Guess I'll find out soon.

[Madge17]

Nigel, I guess it wouldn't make that much of a difference for you then, but still good to know. Congratulations on both losing and maintaining your weight loss, and also trying to go more veggie.

The recipe sounds good to me too, though I'm not sure if it can work during the 2 week induction for me. I hope to start induction this week, following Rose Elliot's book as closely as I can, and have slowly been working towards it. Haven't seen any big weight drop yet, but after looking at my meals, compared to others here, I can see why.

[dfs405]

marking

[Food Lady]

I'm glad you posted this. Beans are a major protein source for me, since I do eat meat analogues, but try to limit the soy-based ones. I really like lentil soup in winter and chili is great any time. I just have to eat a half cup of chili instead of a whole cup. And I want to try black bean chocolate cake!