Gut Health
White Beans
A mild, creamy legume that's one of the better plant sources of resistant starch, which feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
Heart Health
Gut Health
Bone Health
Serving
1 cup, cooked (179g)
Calories Per Serving
249
Key nutrients
Resistant starch, fiber, plant protein, folate
Nutrient density
94
Why it’s worth eating
White beans are a great source of fiber, protein, and micronutrients like magnesium and potassium. They support heart and bone health. Add white beans to soups, salads, or dips.
What you may notice
Digestive comfort and regularity
Satiety between meals
Markers worth tracking
Fasting blood glucose
Lipid panel
How to eat it
Let cooked beans cool before eating some of them cold (as in a salad), cooling increases the resistant starch content compared to eating them hot.
Pairs well with
Whole grains, completes the amino acid profile
Vitamin C foods, improves absorption of the beans' non-heme iron
Storage
Store dried beans in an airtight container indefinitely; refrigerate cooked beans for 4-5 days.
The numbers, per 1 cup, cooked (179g)
0%
Vitamin K
0%
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
12%
Calcium
37%
Iron
27%
Magnesium
21%
Potassium
0%
Vitamin B12
0%
Vitamin D
Fiber
18.6g
Beans, white, mature seeds, cooked (FDC 173744)
Evidence
A
Highest-quality evidence in the legume group, from pooled RCT meta-analyses rather than bean-specific trials. High heterogeneity (I2=80%) and Pulse Canada co-funding. No white-bean-specific trials; effect sizes are pooled.
Study dose vs. serving
Median 130 g/day (about half to three-quarters cup cooked) lowered LDL 0.17 mmol/L (~5%). Glycemic trials averaged 152 g/day. Realistic serving, though the CMAJ authors note most North Americans would need to more than double current intake.
Ha V, Sievenpiper JL, de Souza RJ, et al. CMAJ. 2014;186(8):E252-262. DOI 10.1503/cmaj.131727. 26 RCTs, n=1037. Co-funded by Pulse Canada.
Use caution if
You have IBS or are FODMAP-sensitive, beans are a common trigger; introduce slowly
You take certain blood pressure medications, beans are potassium-rich, worth tracking if you're on a potassium-sparing diuretic
Details
Type
Fats
Season
Pantry, year-round
Forms
Dried, canned
Price
Budget
Bioactive
Resistant starch and soluble fibre
Heat stable
Yes - cook-and-cool forms resistant starch
Watch
PHYTOHAEMAGGLUTININ in raw kidney and white beans (FDA Bad Bug Book). Raw beans 20,000-70,000 hau vs 200-400 cooked; as few as 4-5 raw beans cause vomiting within 1-3 h. Soak, discard water, boil at 100C for 30+ minutes. SLOW COOKERS reaching only ~75C can INCREASE risk. Canned beans are pre-cooked and safe.
Reliability
4 / 5
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