Cranberry beans vs. Pinto beans — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
Summary
Cranberry beans contain more zinc, vitamin B3, and folate. They also contain lower calories and have a lower GI content.
Pinto beans, on the other hand, provide more vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, choline, and phosphorus. Pinto beans also provide more net carbs, dietary fiber, and calories.
Table of contents
Introduction
Cranberry beans and pinto beans are legumes and belong to the family Fabaceae. Pinto beans come from Mexico, whereas cranberry beans are native to South America. At first sight, pinto beans and cranberry beans look the same.
Compared to pinto beans, cranberry beans are large. Cranberry beans (Borlotti beans) have big red or black specks. Pinto beans, on the other hand, are medium size and have dark-brown flecks. After cooking, both lose their spots and become darker.
Nevertheless, they have different tastes, nutritional values, and health effects.
Taste and Use
Cranberry beans have a rich, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor. Pinto beans have a mild, earthy flavor with a creamy texture․
Pinto beans and cranberry beans have various culinary uses. You can add beans to salads, soups, and dips.
Nutrition
We will compare the nutritional information of cranberry beans and pinto beans in this part of the article.
Macronutrients and Calories
Cranberry beans are slightly high in protein, whereas pinto beans are high in net carbs, dietary fiber, and fat content.
Macronutrient Comparison
Calories
In comparison to cranberry beans, pinto beans provide more calories. A hundred grams of cranberry beans contain 136 calories, whereas the same amount of pinto beans provides 143 calories.
Protein
Cranberry beans contain 9.34g of protein per 100g. Pinto beans provide 9.01g of protein. Both contain all essential amino acids.
Fats
The fat content in cranberry beans and pinto beans is not high. Both provide less than 1g of fat per 100 g. Cranberry beans contain 0.46g of fats, whereas pinto beans 0.65g.
Fat Type Comparison
Carbohydrates
Pinto beans contain more carb content compared to cranberry beans. A hundred grams of pinto beans contain 26.22g of carbs, of which 9g are dietary fiber and 17.22g are net carbs.
A hundred grams of cranberry beans contain 24.46g of carbohydrates, of which 8.6g are dietary fiber and 15.86g are net carbs.
Cranberry beans and pinto beans are cholesterol-free.
Carbohydrate type comparison
Vitamins
Pinto beans are higher in vitamins B6, E, C, and K. Cranberry beans contain more vitamins B3 and folate.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Pinto beans are richer in mineral content compared to cranberry beans.
Pinto beans contain more potassium, phosphorus, and selenium content. Cranberry beans, on the other hand, provide more calcium and zinc.
Pinto beans contain 35.3 mg of choline per 100 grams, whereas cranberry beans do not contain it.
Mineral Comparison
Glycemic Index
Cranberry beans and pinto beans are low-GI foods. The glycemic index of cranberry beans is 35, whereas pinto beans have a glycemic index of 39.
Acidity
Calculating the potential renal acid load or PRAL reveals how much acid or base a specific diet produces inside the body. The PRAL value of cranberry beans is -0.5, whereas pinto beans have a PRAL value -1.2. Both are alkaline.
Weight Loss & Diets
Cranberry and pinto beans are good DASH diet alternatives due to their low fat, low sodium, and high protein content.
Because cranberry beans and pinto beans contain a high amount of carbohydrates, they are not keto-friendly.
Both are suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
Cranberry beans and pinto beans are not a good option for the paleo diet because of their high carb content.
Health Benefits
Cardiovascular Health
According to this study, pinto beans and cranberry beans may lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in the blood and improve lipid profiles (1.2).
Some peptides in pinto beans may inhibit the activity of ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme), similar to antihypertensive medications (Captopril, Lisinopril, Perindopril, etc.). Regarding cranberry beans, this effect is unknown (3).
In conclusion, bean consumption is associated with a reduction in CVD risk factors (4).
Digestive Health
As Pinto beans are rich in fiber, they have a protective effect on cecal gut microflora and gut inflammatory markers. Pinto beans also have prebiotic benefits by reducing early immunosuppression and intestinal permeability(5).
Cranberry beans, on the other hand, may aid in managing digestive diseases. Cranberry beans lowered the abundance of the Clostridiaceae, Peptococcaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Pophyromonadaceae families, while increasing the abundance of S24-7 and Prevotellaceae families. Moreover, cranberry beans reduced colonic histological damage during colitis and decreased inflammatory cytokines circulation(6).
Sources
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17951475/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814615004720
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030881461730746X
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2405457723000098
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6574449/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26878790/
Infographic
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in price |
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| Lower in Sugar |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Lower in Sodium | Equal | ||
| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Net carbs | 15.86g | 17.22g |
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| Protein | 9.34g | 9.01g |
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| Fats | 0.46g | 0.65g |
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| Carbs | 24.46g | 26.22g |
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| Calories | 136kcal | 143kcal |
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| Starch | 15.15g |
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| Sugar | 0.34g |
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| Fiber | 8.6g | 9g |
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| Calcium | 50mg | 46mg |
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| Iron | 2.09mg | 2.09mg | |
| Magnesium | 50mg | 50mg | |
| Phosphorus | 135mg | 147mg |
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| Potassium | 387mg | 436mg |
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| Sodium | 1mg | 1mg | |
| Zinc | 1.14mg | 0.98mg |
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| Copper | 0.231mg | 0.219mg |
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| Manganese | 0.37mg | 0.453mg |
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| Selenium | 1.3µg | 6.2µg |
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| Vitamin E | 0.94mg |
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| Vitamin C | 0mg | 0.8mg |
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| Vitamin B1 | 0.21mg | 0.193mg |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.069mg | 0.062mg |
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| Vitamin B3 | 0.515mg | 0.318mg |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.24mg | 0.21mg |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.081mg | 0.229mg |
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| Folate | 207µg | 172µg |
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| Vitamin K | 3.5µg |
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| Tryptophan | 0.111mg | 0.108mg |
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| Threonine | 0.393mg | 0.331mg |
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| Isoleucine | 0.412mg | 0.426mg |
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| Leucine | 0.746mg | 0.765mg |
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| Lysine | 0.641mg | 0.63mg |
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| Methionine | 0.14mg | 0.117mg |
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| Phenylalanine | 0.505mg | 0.531mg |
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| Valine | 0.489mg | 0.519mg |
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| Histidine | 0.26mg | 0.247mg |
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| Saturated Fat | 0.119g | 0.136g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.04g | 0.133g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.199g | 0.235g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- Cranberry beans - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173736/nutrients
- Pinto beans - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175200/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.