Black Beans vs Beef – Clash of the Titans (Guest Post)
I am so excited to be publishing my very first guest post! It comes from West End actor and converted Veggie LAD, Stewart Clarke. He’s been on a mission to go plant-powered. As a man who has, thus far, made a living from playing parts which involve him whipping out his torso, you can trust that Stewart is proof that going veggie/vegan doesn’t compromise performance in the gym. Here, he sets up a show-down of epic proportions. Who will win? Beef or Black Beans?

Black Beans Vs Beef
You all know the story. Beef is heralded as the king of meats; the ultimate source of red blooded, high protein mass. Be it grilled, flamed, cha broiled or fried, the rump of the humble cow is the holy grail of post workout fuel, dripping in masculinity and brawn.
As for the black bean? Seriously? A contender to the throne of the might meaty majesty that is a sirloin steak?! Don’t be ridiculous. That’s the fantasy of pathetic plant lovers with no real idea about nutrition.
Or is it?
Could the black bean really measure up in terms of heavyweight protein provider vs. beef? We square these two culinary foes against one another, and the results are…. surprising.
ROUND 1 – PRICE
Black Beans: $1.07 per pound
Beef: $5.28 per pound
Beans are the clear winner here with a minuscule total compared with the extravagance of the pricey beef. Beans are far easier to produce than beef, requiring less farming space and producing a much greater yield per square foot of farmland. This translates into a cheaper price for the consumer and more protein per penny spent!!
Winner: Black Beans

Per 100 Grams
Black Beans
130 Calories
21g Protein
0g Total Fat
0g Saturated Fat
0mg Cholesterol
8g Fibre
2.9mg Iron
Ground Beef
270 Calories
26g Protein
18g Total Fat
7g Saturated Fat
80mg Cholesterol
0g Fibre
2.3mg Iron
Holy Saturated Fatman! That’s a lot of ‘drippings’ coming with your protein! Even a cursory glance at those figures reveals the advantages of black beans from a health perspective. Rather than clogging your innards with heaps of fat, the black bean provides a clean healthier alternative, but still with plenty of punch. With only a 5g difference in protein provided per 100g its clear that the beany benefits outweigh the cholesterol cons!
Winner: Black Beans
ROUND 3 – SUSTAINABILITY
Water Used per Gram of Protein
Black Bean:
5.0 Gallons
Beef:
29.6 Gallons
Greenhouse Gas Emissions in CO2 per kg produced
Black Bean:
0.56kg
Beef:
15kg
The beef farming industry is one of the biggest contributors to global warming in the modern age. The space required for cattle farming is seeing major deforestation across the globe, which obviously is not good news for the cleanliness of our atmosphere. Not to mention the very act of farming these animals requires obscene amounts of water and fuel consumption when compared to black beans. Did I also mention the 377 million tonnes of cow poop generated by the livestock industry in the US each year? That’s the equivalent weight of 6283 Cruise Liners. In poop. Yikes.
Winner: Black Beans
Woah woah stop the fight, stop the fight! The meat has been utterly tenderised by the mighty fist of the bean. The lowly pulse has pulverised the competition and bean-ten the steak harder than Rocky during his one of his training montages. You can’t ignore facts like these – black beans are better for your wallet, your body and the planet.
Right, I’m off to rustle up a mighty veggie chilli. You better believe it’s gonna be beany…baby.
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This is absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much for this information. I’ve completely dropped beef from my diet and I’ve replaced all meat with black beans!
Great Work! Keep spreading the good message 😀
Great stuff, love the presentation! It is so nice to share a laugh as we learn and save others!