Refried beans vary wildly by fat source. 90 kcal, 1.2 g fat, 557 mg sodium per 100 g. Traditional versions use lard or bacon fat; fat-free and vegetarian versions use plant oils or no fat at all. An NIH inpatient RCT (Hall et al., Cell Metab 2019) linked ultra-processed meals to +508 kcal/day overconsumption. The bean base is still a pulse, but the fat and sodium decide the final profile — read the label.
How should I track Refried beans (cooked)?
Refried beans is a good source of fiber. When tracking Refried beans, the dry-vs-cooked distinction is critical. Legumes absorb roughly 2–3 times their weight in water during soaking and cooking, so 100 g dry becomes 250–300 g cooked. Always check which form the nutrition values refer to. A meta-analysis of 43 RCTs (Reid-McCann et al., Nutr Rev 2025) found plant protein matches dairy for muscle outcomes — so tracking precision matters just as much here. If you use canned legumes, drain and rinse to reduce sodium by about 40%. Weigh on a kitchen scale for the most reliable count.