Are Beans a Protein or Carbohydrate Food?

Vegetarians and vegans lean pretty hard on beans as a source of protein. Even those who sometimes eat meat but also enjoy plant-based meals will often build their meat-free meals around some sort of legume. This is because legumes contain more protein per serving than most other plant foods.

How much protein do beans contain?

But the nutrition profile of legumes is very different from animal protein sources. Eggs, meat, fish, and chicken get anywhere from 50 to 95% of their calories from protein with the rest coming from fat. Legumes, on the other hand, only get about a quarter of their calories from protein. The rest is mostly carbohydrate.  

Legumes only get about a quarter of their calories from protein. The rest is mostly carbohydrate.

Soybeans are a bit of an exception—they're higher in both protein and fat and lower in carbohydrate than other legumes.  

Peanuts (which are technically legumes) are another exception. They're even higher in fat than soybeans and lower in protein than most beans. Perhaps because of this, peanuts are generally categorized as nuts for the purposes of dietary guidelines, despite their botanical classification.

Can you get enough protein from beans?

Although we often think of beans as being a protein food, the truth is that they provide a lot less protein per serving—and per calorie—than animal proteins. 

A 3-ounce serving of cooked chicken breast, for example, provides about 26 grams of protein and about 160 calories The standard serving size for beans is 1/2 cup cooked beans, which provides just 8 grams of protein for around 120 calories.

For every gram of protein in beans, you're also taking in about 3 grams of carbohydrate and a lot more calories.

So, we need to eat a lot more beans to get the same amount of protein as we get from meat. It would take 2 cups of black beans to get the same amount of protein you'd get from 3/4 cup of chicken breast, for example.  

But, for every gram of protein in beans, you're also taking in about 3 grams of carbohydrate and a lot more calories. 

RELATED: How To Get More Protein for Fewer Calories

What about the carbohydrates in beans? 

Although beans are relatively high in carbs, these are some of the healthiest types of carbs. The carbohydrate portion of beans is a combination of fiber and starch. But about half the starch in beans is actually what we refer to as resistant starch. That means it resists digestion and absorption in the small intestine and goes on to function much like fiber in the gut. 

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22 Alternative Uses for Baking Soda

A gentle swap for scouring powder

The best thing about scouring powder is its abrasive action. The worst is the harsh chemical smell. To get all the benefits without the caustic chemicals, use baking soda instead. In most instances, baking soda will work just as well as scouring powder.

Simply clean tiles

For an easy, natural tile cleaner, mix together ¼ cup baking soda and 1 gallon warm water. Scrub with a sponge or mop, then rinse. For tough stains, wait 10 to 15 before rinsing.

Love your grout again

Is there anything more satisfying than nice, clean grout? A simple paste of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water is all you need. Make a new batch each time you plan to attack the space between your tiles.

Remove scuffs

To get rid of scuff marks left on vinyl flooring by dark-soled shoes, rub some baking soda into the spot with a wet rag. The marks will disappear.

Show off crystal-clean crystal

To clean your cut crystal, mix a teaspoon of baking soda with warm water, then dab it onto the crystal with a soft rag. Rinse with water, and buff with a dry, soft cloth.

Supercharge your detergent

To boost the power of your dishwasher detergent, sprinkle a little baking soda in the dishwasher every time you run it. It will also help fight foul odors before they start.

SEE ALSO: Who Knew's 12 Dishwasher Tips and Tricks

Know this skillet saver

The teriyaki chicken you made for dinner was delicious, but the sweet sauce left terrible black burns on the bottom of your frying pan. To clean it, first sprinkle the pan with ¼ to ½ cup baking soda, and fill the pan halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil, and the burned pieces should start to release. When most of the pieces are removed, turn off the heat, dump the water, and wash as usual.

As the water boils, you may want to use a spatula to help the process along. 

Get better-tasting coffee

The secret many of us miss: Make sure you clean your coffee maker regularly. Just add several tablespoons of baking soda to your pot, fill it with water, and run it as usual. Then repeat using only water.

Tackle tough appliances

If you haven’t had time to clean up and now there’s dried-on food stuck in the blades of your blender or food processor, bring baking soda to the rescue. Add 1 tablespoon baking soda along with 1 cup warm water to the bowl, put the lid on, and let it blend for 10 to 15 seconds. Wash as usual.

Perk up your plastic

Have plastic storage containers with lingering odors? Wash them with hot water plus 2...

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Are Outdoor Elliptical Bikes Effective?

I am a big fan of cycling because it's fun, a quick way to get around town, and a great workout. But I also know that when I cycle, I spend a lot of time in a seated position. This can shorten my hip flexors, and create pain and stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and back. If only there was a way to solve these issues without taking me off the road.

Maybe there is. 

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine told me about this funky bike-like device he had purchased called an ElliptiGO. He described it as “the love child of a bicycle and an elliptical trainer.” A few weeks later, he showed up to meet me riding it and, yep, that's exactly what it looks like. It has handlebars and wheels like a bike but instead of pedals, it has those big foot pads like an elliptical machine at the gym.

And the real differentiator is that it doesn’t have a seat. 

Outdoor elliptical bikes seem to be gaining popularity. I've started to see these contraptions on the streets around my neighborhood and I have even seen 4x Obstacle Racing World Champion and Ultrarunner Amelia Boone posting about hers on Twitter.

So, I thought it is about time I took a closer look.

Are outdoor elliptical machines effective?

In one of my previous articles called “The Benefits of Using an Elliptical Trainer,” I mentioned a study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. This study compared the use of a plain old bike with an elliptical trainer during what is called a Wingate test. This test is a 30-second, all-out, maximum effort that measures the power output from an athlete. In this version of the test, the researchers had volunteers ride both a bike and then an elliptical while they measured energy outputs from the three major energy systems of the body: oxidative, phosphorolytic, and glycolytic energy systems. They then compared the oxygen consumption and peak blood lactate levels.

The researchers concluded that due to the increased arm use, core activation, the use of more leg musculature, and the standing position the user is put in (remember, there is no seat), the elliptical trainer was able to get the volunteers to reach an exhausted state much more quickly than a regular bike.

If you are looking for a cardiovascular exercise that will maximize your effort, choosing a machine that gets your arms, your core, and your legs moving is important.

Why is this...

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Vulnerability: The Workplace Superpower Disguised as a Weakness

Last year I got a call from Alex, a leader in a consumer products business. He was preparing to make a big change in his organization: new roles, reporting lines, products—a pretty big deal!

“We’ve done a lot of change in the past,” he told me. “Our analysis is always spot on, our products and structures are right. But something always falls apart. We lose productivity, we lose talent, and we lose steam!”

He was looking for a different outcome this time. Luckily, that’s just my jam.

He showed me his change plan, chock full of cells, lines, and boxes. He had thought it all through, just as he’d done every time before.

“Great,” I said. “Now tell me about what you don’t know. What anxieties, questions, and concerns do you have? And what does your team have to say about all of that?”

He stared blankly. Then, he explained that his job was to deliver clarity, confidence, and answers, not questions, uncertainty, and risk.

This, my friends, was our big moment.

Being vulnerable involves being honest about what you don’t know, what scares you, and where you need support from others.

Alex didn't need more intelligence or analysis—that was already working for him. What he needed was vulnerability.

And chances are, in certain moments, so do you. So let’s dive into what vulnerability is, why it serves us, and how you can bring it to life.

What is vulnerability?

In the fourth-most-watched TED Talk of all time (according to TED), researcher Brené Brown describes vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.”

But vulnerability is often mistaken for weakness. When we speak of illness, for example, we flag certain populations, like the elderly, as being the most “vulnerable,” the most likely to fall ill.

Real vulnerability is a show of strength, not weakness.

But the brand of vulnerability we’re talking about here has more in common with the Incredible Hulk than elders like, say, Betty White. (Although, don't we all hope Betty White turns out to be invincible?) Real vulnerability is a show of strength, not weakness.

The Brené brand of vulnerability requires courage and confidence. It involves being honest about what you don’t know, what scares you, and where you need support from others.

Why is allowing yourself to be vulnerable at work so powerful?

Showing...

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Can Anything Go Faster Than the Speed of Light?

A student recently asked me, “When do you think we’ll finally beat the speed of light?”

Like many, he assumed that in a world where we constantly work to make things bigger, better, faster—from our technology to our athletic performances—the speed of light was also something we would eventually be able to best.

Not everything is a record waiting to be broken, though. Sometimes the universe pumps the brakes.

What is the speed of light?

The speed of light, the fastest moving thing we know of, is 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. That’s over 186,000 miles per second.

But physicists didn’t always know light traveled at a finite speed. In fact, physicists once thought light did not have a speed at all but rather traveled instantaneously. Naively, this assumption seems reasonable—I don’t have to wait for the light to reach my eyes once I flip the light switch.

Traveling at over 186,000 miles per second in a vacuum, light is the fastest-moving thing we know of.

In the early 1600s, the Dutch scientist Isaac Beeckman tried to test the assumed instantaneous nature of light by investigating whether observers from different locations saw the flash from a gunpowder explosion sooner or later. His results were inconclusive for reasons we now understand—his terrestrial distances were too small to measure a difference in arrival time.

Around 50 years later, the astronomer Ole Romer noted a difference in the times measured between the eclipses of Jupiter’s moons depending on the position of the Earth. When the Earth was moving away from Jupiter, the downtime between each eclipse—that’s when the moon traverses in front of the gas giant planet from our perspective—was increased by about seven minutes compared to when Earth was moving toward Jupiter. He suggested this difference might be due to a difference in light travel times. Romer measured a value of ~220,000,000 meters per second which, considering his set up, is really pretty good.

In the 1800s, James Clerk Maxwell began to work out the mathematical framework for how electromagnetic radiation, classical optics, and electric circuits work—a framework now known as Maxwell’s Equations. His work revealed that light was an electromagnetic wave and that electromagnetic waves traveled at a consistent speed—the speed of light.

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Is Your Child Manipulative? 5 Helpful Strategies

When one of my kid's goes out of their way to tell me how great I look, particularly when I'm feeling harried, I cautiously embrace the compliment. I know I'm not having a great hair day, and I've worn my vintage denim jacket dozens (probably hundreds) of times, so it's not like I'm rocking an awesome new outfit they've never seen.

Hmm, what's up?

Do I seriously look amazing? (Every busy mom hopes so!) Or could this compliment be a ploy to cover an underlying motive like wanting the go-ahead to break curfew or to soften the news of a failing grade?

My daughter tends to be trustworthy and get good grades, so her overzealous fashion compliments are probably innocent. But when she applies that same charisma to go to her father behind my back to get his blessing for a new cell phone after I've already said no ... that's inappropriate.

Kids manipulate their parents for various reasons, usually to get something they want. There are times, however, when that tactic gets out of hand, and it becomes a challenge.

Kids learn to be manipulative from a young age

When a child manipulates, it may seem like an artful and calculated con job. But often, learning to manipulate comes about instinctively. In an article on child manipulation, clinical psychologist Dr. Susan Rutherford writes:

Children can learn how to get certain responses from their parents from a very young age. Typically not before 15 months, but some kids can understand this dynamic quickly.

She refers to a young child crying in the middle of the night. The parent runs in to pick the child up to soothe him. The child soon learns that this behavior will get his needs met, so it develops into a pattern.

As the mom of eight kids ranging in ages from 15 to 27, I've learned first-hand about behaviors and why kids rely on them. All action serves a purpose and is a means to an end. Our kids do things because they want something and because they need things. Whether they're craving a new toy, candy at the check-out aisle, or the ability to wheedle out of a chore, many kids learned ways to game the system without much effort.

As a child grows and discovers their needs are being met through crying, whining, or lying and controlling others, they may continue on this course. After all, it's working quite well for them! Their success rate reinforces their behavior. 

Here are Mighty Mommy's five strategies to help you take control and nip manipulative behavior in the bud.

1. Respond, don't react

It's helpful to think of your child's...

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A QDT Q&A With Ken Kwapis

Quick and Dirty Tips: Your rap sheet of shows and movies you've directed includes notable episodes and films such as #BlackAF, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Office, Malcolm in the Middle, and He Said, She Said.  Can you share a few highlights and memorable moments? Would you say any of these movies or films was a gamechanger for your career?

Ken Kwapis: My very first feature film, Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, is the story of Big Bird’s journey of self-discovery. Imagining he’d be happier living with his own kind, Bird decamps for a small town in the Midwest, where he moves in with a foster bird family. He soon realizes how much he misses Sesame Street, where a diverse group of all kinds—humans, monsters, grouches—live in harmony. It’s a message that’s as vital now as it was in 1985, when I directed the film. Why was this film a gamechanger for me? I connected to Big Bird’s emotional journey on a very personal level; in retrospect, I now see that it took an eight-foot bird to teach me that my job as a director was to become a student of human nature.

QDT:  How does your directing style change between movies and TVs and the type of show/movie you're working on (rom-com, comedy, etc)? Do you have to adapt to the genre?

KK: Whether directing comedy or drama, I try to find the humanity in any given scene. Put a different way, when I direct comedic material I look for ways to ground the scene in reality. And when I'm working on a dramatic piece, I look for humor to leaven the drama. There’s always humor hiding in the drama, waiting for a good director to discover.

Working in Hollywood, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you need to measure success on your own terms, not Hollywood’s.

QDT: What content (books, movies, essays, etc.) should college-aged and young adults be consuming if they want to work in film or media?

KK: There are so many ways to answer this question. Let me focus on filmmakers who are noteworthy for their understanding of the human condition. I urge you to get acquainted with directors who have a talent for putting truthful human behavior on the screen. There are many to choose from, but you could do a lot worse than luxuriating in the works of William Wyler, John Cassavetes, Yasujiro Ozu, Ernst Lubtisch, Mike Leigh, Max Ophuls, and Akira Kurosawa.

QDT: What has been the most important piece of advice you've ever received or the most important lesson you've learned?  

KK:...

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