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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