Calories in Beans, Dry, Medium Red (0% moisture)

What makes beans so powerful?

Red beans, including medium red varieties, contain phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), a lectin that ranks among the most potent naturally occurring toxins in common foods. The FDA has documented that as few as four or five raw red kidney beans can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea within one to three hours of consumption. What makes this particularly dangerous is that slow cookers—the seemingly convenient method for preparing beans—often operate at temperatures between 170°F and 180°F, which is insufficient to fully denature PHA. The toxin requires boiling at 212°F for at least ten minutes to be destroyed. This is why traditional soaking followed by vigorous boiling has persisted across cultures for millennia, long before the chemistry was understood. Beyond the lectin concern, medium red beans are notable for their dense protein matrix; at 0% moisture, the protein concentration reflects the bean's true compositional baseline before hydration. The characteristic red coloration comes from anthocyanin pigments in the seed coat, which also contribute mild antioxidant activity, though these pigments leach into cooking water and fade significantly during prolonged cooking.