Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I have heard that beans have a large amount of protein. Is there an amount that should not be exceeded each day or is that another myth? (i.e. What is recommended amount each day-I enjoy them)

I think that Dr. McDougall recommends limiting legumes to about 1 cup cooked each day.

Kime wrote:I think that Dr. McDougall recommends limiting legumes to about 1 cup cooked each day.

But I think that recommendation is for people with kidney disease (who must avoid excess protein) and for those with severe osteoporosis (who must avoid the acidity that comes with excess protein). I don't think it applies to everyone.

Gweithgar wrote:But I think that recommendation is for people with kidney disease (who must avoid excess protein) and for those with severe osteoporosis (who must avoid the acidity that comes with excess protein). I don't think it applies to everyone.

I think it does. . . maybe that's just MWL though? I never pay much attention to the regular plan. Someone look at the books and clarify.

I copies this from a previous post by Veggie Sue. The one cup bean restriction is for everyone. People with kidney disease should limit or completely restrict beans every more:

In The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart he says: "However, you should limit your beans, peas, and lentils to one cup a day, on the average, to protect yourself from any adverse effects of too much protein and the possible loss of calcium from your bones."

In one of his earlier books, The McDougall Plan (which a lot of people
consider to be the best of his books) he says: "Vegetable products are usualy lower in protein content than are animal products. The most important exceptions are the legumes, which include beans, peas, and lentils. These foods can be consumed easily in amounts large enough to yield a diet containing excessive protein. If you are in good health, legumes should be used in no more than one meal per day. The amount should not exceed one cup of cooked legumes per meal."

From The New McDougall Cookbook: "In general, consumption of legumes should be limited to one cooked cupful a day. Some sensitive people may have to restrict their intake even further and take stricter measures to avoid excess protein."
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Also

http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougal ... rotein.htm
March 2003
Vol. 2 No. 3
Restrict Protein - Save Your Kidneys

"The diet I recommend is centered on starchy vegetables, like rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, breads, and pastas. The protein content of these foods is ideal as designed by nature through eons of evolution - about 6% to 14% of the calories. Another advantage of the foods I recommend is they are made of vegetable proteins which are much less troublesome for the kidneys to process than are proteins derived from animal foods. There are some higher-protein, starchy vegetable foods classified as legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) - these are about 28% protein. In general, I recommend that a healthy person limit these to, on average, one cup of cooked legumes a day (for example, one day you may have three cups and none for the next two ways). People with loss of kidney function must restrict these legumes even more. Most green and yellow vegetables are high in protein, but the absolute amount of protein consumed from these low calorie foods is so small that the proteins in these vegetables are rarely of any consequence. Fruits are low in protein."

Kate

Re: "In general, I (Dr. McDougall) recommend that a healthy person limit these (legumes) to, on average, one cup of cooked legumes a day (for example, one day you may have three cups and none for the next two days)."

This statement confuses me, because it suggests that three cups of legumes in that one day (out of three) wouldn't be harmful to the kidneys.

I love beans but who can eat more than a cup a day!

Dovima wrote:I love beans but who can eat more than a cup a day!

I can, easily.

Dovima wrote:I love beans but who can eat more than a cup a day!

Me too! I can easily much more than a cup of beans or legumes if I don't watch it. Some beans in my soup, some edamame as a snack, some peas in my veggies for dinner.... way more than a cup there.

Suey wrote:Re: "In general, I (Dr. McDougall) recommend that a healthy person limit these (legumes) to, on average, one cup of cooked legumes a day (for example, one day you may have three cups and none for the next two days)."

This statement confuses me, because it suggests that three cups of legumes in that one day (out of three) wouldn't be harmful to the kidneys.

What matters is not what happens on any particular day, but the pattern of one's eating over time. A three cup legume day would put an extra load on the kidneys. The two days with no legumes would allow the kidneys to rest and recover. What could potentially cause trouble is overloading the kidneys day after day without respite over a long period of time.

I often eat more than 1 cup a day. I have no kidney (or other) problems, and I lost weight easily, so I'm not bothered about it. I do TRY to watch it, and having the "rule" there helps, but beans are very satisfying and they make a meal for me.

I didn't see anything about limiting beans/legumes to 1 cup a day in the MWL book. Doesn't MWL say that you can eat as much as you want, so long as it's 'on the plan'? i've been eating a can of garbanzo beans and a can of corn a day...which is wayy over a cup. can anyone tell me where to find the restriction in the MWL book?

djlee4 wrote:I didn't see anything about limiting beans/legumes to 1 cup a day in the MWL book. Doesn't MWL say that you can eat as much as you want, so long as it's 'on the plan'? i've been eating a can of garbanzo beans and a can of corn a day...which is wayy over a cup. can anyone tell me where to find the restriction in the MWL book?

Well, corn isn't beans. ???

It's in there--I don't have the book with me. And you can't eat as much of whatever as long as it's on plan--fruit is limited, too, you know.

well it indicates in the book that corn is a legume...it seems that the book groups beans and legumes together, so i'm assuming that corn is also limited to a cup a day?
also, any ballpark of where in the book this information is? i went through it several times and don't recall seeing anything like this.

djlee4 wrote:I didn't see anything about limiting beans/legumes to 1 cup a day in the MWL book.

MWLP is a sub-set of the regular plan, so all the rules of the regular plan, such as no animal products, no oils, limiting beans to one cup, etc., hold true for MWLP. MWLP just adds more restrictions on top of those.

The same goes for the sub-set of the MWLP, the Mary's Mini. Even though the newsletter posts describing that version of the McDougall plan don't specifically mention oil, meat or limits on beans, it's understood that the same rules apply.