Black beans are pretty popular in the cooking that you find in Latin American cuisine, and they are equally commonplace in the cooking of Creole and Cajun food, such as that which you can find in Southern Louisiana. Another name for the black bean is the black turtle bean. The black bean has a meaty and dense texture, as well as flavor that will recall mushrooms. Because of this characteristic of black beans, it is a favorite ingredient in vegetarian dishes, such as a black bean burrito. Another popular use for the black bean is in soups, where it is eaten along with Cuban crackers in some cuisines. Black beans are mostly healthy for you, but they do pack quite the calorie punch.

High in Calories

While black beans are mostly good for your health, in the area of calories, they are quite high. A serving size of 4 ounces will get you a quantity of 140 calories. The principle of weight gain is based on you ingesting more calories than you subsequently burn off again through activities like physical exercise. So after eating only a half a cup of black beans (4 ounces), you already have to commit yourself to quite some exercise just to make certain that that calorie amount does not cause you weight gain. For example, you already have to do 9 minutes worth of bicycling at a rate of 17 miles per hour; organ-playing for 52 minutes; or attend to patients by nursing them for 33 minutes.

High in Protein

Black beans are high in protein, which is excellent if you want to ward off muscular wasting. Protein is also a fundamental building block for developing your muscles; this is why bodybuilders and those who want to develop impressive muscles often use supplements of protein in their diet. Protein is so important to the body that if you experience a deficiency in this substance, you can be subjected to serious diseases and illnesses. For example, a lack of protein has been associated with mental retardation and a lowering of intelligence, as well as the disease called kwashiorkor. This disease is more common in third world countries and young children.

No Sodium

The best benefit of eating black beans is that they are totally sodium-free. That is excellent when you consider how eating excessive quantities of sodium has deleterious effects on your health. Because sodium is found in most foods and your daily intake recommendations of sodium are quite conservative, many Americans end up encroaching beyond their healthy, daily intake levels. With black beans, you get to avoid all these negative health effects.