Identification

• Refried beans are dry beans that are cooked, mashed and fried with spices to form a paste consistency. Homemade or store bought, they are commonly served as a side dish with Mexican food or rolled in a tortilla for a bean burrito.
  
  

Benefits

• In one serving, canned refried beans provide 10 percent of your daily recommendation of protein, 20 to 25 percent of fiber and 10 percent of your daily iron. Unless they were cooked with animal fat, beans don't have dietary cholesterol.
  
  

Considerations

• There is a lot of sodium in canned beans; for example, Old El Paso traditional refried beans and Rosarita's fat-free version have at least 550 mg of sodium in a half-cup---25 percent of your daily needs. In comparison, dry beans have about 15 mg in an equivalent serving.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Because refried beans have traditionally been prepared with lard, people assume they are fattening. Actually, most canned refried beans have five grams or fewer of fat per serving.
  
  

Significance

• Refried beans are part of the "beans and meat" category in the USDA's food pyramid. They provide B vitamins that are vital for energy production, iron that carries blood in the body and calcium that aids in bone growth.