All of them seem really similar, but some are still slightly higher % fiber and some may have lower GIs (I presume lentils are easiest to digest but they also seem the “simplest”)
They vary in their nutrient profiles, fiber content, phytochemical composition, etc.
Rather than focusing on the one “best” it might be prudent to aim for a wide variety to get exposure to as many different phytonutrients as possible. That’s what I do.
But sometimes I lean towards the less gassy ones (lentils, split peas, adzukis, etc.).
Digestive enzymes and beano can help your tolerance. Eating smaller quantities per meal is also good. At almost 60 I can no longer consume massive quantities without issues like I could when I was your age.
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Tbh green “beans” are the healthiest.
But…
“Fullness-per-Calorie” score — now with ancestral beans
Using the same quick-and-dirty index as before
$$
\textbf{Satiety proxy} ;=;\frac{\text{protein g + dietary fiber g}}{\text{kcal}}\times100
$$
*Tepary and pinto values converted from “1 cup” cookbook data to a 100-g basis.
†Mesquite is eaten as a dry flour from roasted pods, not a hydrated bean; its calories are concentrated, so the protein + fiber per calorie looks modest even though the food is 38 % protein + fiber by weight.
How the newcomers stack up
|
What makes it filling? |
Practical quirks |
| Tepary |
Highest soluble-fiber density of any common bean; ~25 % protein by dry weight; very low glycaemic load. |
Harder to find; needs a longer simmer (or pressure cooker) to soften the waxy seed-coat that helps it survive desert droughts. |
| Green beans |
Extreme water content ⇒ big stomach stretch for few calories; still delivers decent fiber. |
Really a vegetable, not a mature pulse, so protein is low in absolute terms; you’ll need a bigger serving to equal the amino acids in dry beans. |
| Mesquite flour |
Galactomannan gums and sweet, low-GI sugars give long-lasting energy; traditionally ground with the fibrous seed-coat intact. |
~4 × the energy density of cooked beans; use as 10-30 % of flour in breads or pancakes rather than as a heaping porridge. Hydrating the dry powder before eating improves satiety. |
Take-aways for maximum fullness on minimal calories
-
Tepary > navy ≈ black if you can get it; otherwise navy/black remain the supermarket champs.
-
Green beans are unbeatable for volume—add a mound alongside any starch or protein to stretch the meal.
-
Mesquite flour is a stealth fiber booster, but treat it like a nut-flour: a spoonful goes a long way.
-
Cool-and-reheat still helps: the retrograded starch trick that works for kidney and pinto also increases resistant starch in tepary.
-
Chew well, eat wet, mind add-ins—the same low-calorie, high-satiety hygiene rules apply.
Bottom line:
For ancestral Native-American staples, tepary beans edge out even modern pulses for protein-plus-fiber per calorie, while mesquite flour offers a uniquely sweet, gluten-free way to sneak fiber into baked goods.
Why navy & black edge out kidney
-
Fiber density: They pack ~35–40 % more soluble/insoluble fiber per calorie than kidney beans, which swells with water and triggers stretch receptors in the stomach.
-
Protein parity: All Phaseolus beans hover near 25–28 % of calories from protein, so fiber is the differentiator.
-
Energy density: At ~1.3 kcal / g after cooking, navy and black are still low-energy-dense, but the extra fiber means slightly larger hydrated bulk for the same calories.
Where kidney beans still shine
-
α-Amylase inhibitor (Phaseolamin): White kidney/cannellini retain a bit of this compound even after home cooking, blocking a fraction of starch digestion and further flattening post-meal glucose—subjectively extending fullness even if the fiber number is smaller. The Nutrition Source
-
Very low glycaemic load: They’re already low-GI; add the inhibitor plus resistant starch formed when you cool and re-heat them, and they can “feel” more filling than their protein-plus-fiber score predicts.
Practical tips to maximise fullness per calorie
-
Cook from dry, then chill overnight. Cooling lets amylose retrograde into resistant starch; reheating doesn’t reverse this fully, so you keep the lower net calories and higher satiety.
I am.back.looking at black turtle beans which may benefit from higher tryptophan. There is a salad sold in the UK called 3 bean. I found it was a sleep aid, by a process of elimination I decided it was the btb I want to work out why, but I think a good source of tryptophan is important.
Oh! I was reading about this a while back because I seemed to have a poor reaction to lentils.
Check out this table from the paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271140311_Lectins_agglutinins_and_their_roles_in_autoimmune_reactivities
The table is showing what tissues the various agglutinins bind to. Soy, wheat, and peanut
Lentils have an antinutrient in them called lectins/agglutinins, paper explains more. You can see in the table that the lentil antinutrient binds to quite a lot of different tissues, on par with wheat, soy, and peanut. However it’s one of the only one tested other than wheat and kidney/jack bean that binds to brain tissue. I get migraines and I’m already wheat free (most likely celiac as it runs in my family but was never tested). I tend to have a lot of poor responses to different types of food and they can trigger migraines. I feel like lentils was one of them.
Maybe it’s unrelated but after I saw that chart seeing how many tissues it gets to including the brain I got spooked. An interesting read, anyway.
I eat a large amount of chickpeas and black beans without issue. In recent years I am straying from edamame/soy as it seems to trigger cystitis - also one of the very allergenic ones on this list.
1 Like
RTHR
#6
Beans have different amino acid profiles.
I think it is also necessary to choose beans by if it is (or closer to) complete protein, especially if it has relative higher Met+Cys.
I tends to taking balanced, complete amino acids, maximize the benefit of every grams of protein.
| Legume |
His |
Ile |
Leu |
Lys |
Met+Cys |
Phe+Tyr |
Thr |
Trp |
Val |
| Soybean |
27 |
49 |
82 |
64 |
26 |
89 |
38 |
14 |
50 |
| Black Bean |
22 |
40 |
65 |
50 |
19 |
72 |
30 |
9 |
42 |
| Lentil |
25 |
42 |
71 |
52 |
22 |
78 |
33 |
11 |
47 |
| Chickpea |
23 |
41 |
68 |
45 |
21 |
74 |
31 |
10 |
44 |
| Pea |
20 |
37 |
62 |
46 |
17 |
68 |
28 |
8 |
38 |
| Kidney Bean |
21 |
38 |
63 |
48 |
18 |
70 |
29 |
12 |
40 |
| Fava Bean |
22 |
39 |
66 |
49 |
18 |
71 |
30 |
8 |
41 |
| Mung Bean |
24 |
40 |
67 |
50 |
20 |
75 |
32 |
10 |
45 |
| Pinto Bean |
21 |
37 |
61 |
47 |
17 |
69 |
28 |
9 |
39 |
| Lima Bean |
19 |
35 |
60 |
44 |
16 |
65 |
27 |
7 |
35 |
| WHO Requirement |
15 |
30 |
59 |
45 |
22 |
38 |
23 |
6 |
39 |
For this topic, soybean looks great.
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Surprised no one is looking at fiber, this is where the bean is king. 150g of pinto beans is relatively a small amount, and almost half of daily fiber requirement.
I don’t actually think it’s necessary to choose a bean based on its protein profile, unless you’re not consuming enough proteins to begin with.
1 Like
Nick1
#8
True that! You get fair amount of fibers with beans.
Anti-nutrients such as lectins and phytates are of minor concern. I soak and sprout them which takes care of phytates. Then pressure cooking neutralizes all lectins.
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Do you have a source for those figures?
