Can you eat beans on a low carb diet?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to eat beans. They are a cheap source of protein, are fairly high in fiber, and have varied and delicious flavors. There are also some good reasons not to eat them. They are quite high in lectins, a substance which causes a lot of inflammation in the body, and are the reason why beans cause so many digestive upsets. Also because of the perception that they are high in carbohydrates.




Which of these beans, if any, can be eaten on a low carbohydrate diet?

In order lowest to highest net carbs per half cup, this is how they rank:

Mung brand - 0.34 grams
Green beans - 0.12 grams
Yellow snap beans - 0.6 grams
Black beans -  3.27 grams
Red kidney beans - 3.56 grams
Fava beans - 6.48 grams
Lima beans - 7.5 grams
Pinto beans - 7.3 grams
Calico or red beans - 9.1 grams
Navy beans - 13.39 grams
Great Northern beans - 14.75 grams
White beans - 16.14 grams
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - 16.54 grams

It would appear that Navy beans, Great Northerns, White beans and Garbanzo beans have as many carbs as one slice of bread. So if you don’t bread on your diet, you should probably avoid those four varieties as well. It looks like Green beans, Black beans, and red kidney beans might have acceptable levels for a low carb diet, as long as they are kept to 1/2 cup or less. The beans in the middle of the list might be acceptable if kept to a quarter cup or less, perhaps just enough to toss them into a salad.

But definitely, I would not try to eat these as a protein substitute because the small amounts allowed on a low carb diet would provide insufficient daily protein.

If you are trying to reduce the amount of inflammatory foods you are eating, beans should probably be avoided altogether.

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