calorie counting -- traditional refried beans?

[ssipes]

So my hubby and I eat about 1x per week at the little family-run Mexican joint down the street. Which I'm sure blows my calories, I just can't figure out how much.

They have the best refried beans -- I'm sure they have lard but how much? Fitday.com lists traditional refried beans at ~475 calories and 20+ grams of fat per cup. That would be almost 2 tablespoons of lard per cup of beans! I'm thinking no way, maybe half that? ON the other hand, maybe they do.

Anyone have a Mexican grandma that makes traditional refritos? Do they really have that much fat?

I also can't figure out how much I eat. I envison food in measuring-cup shaped volumes, but in a Mexican restaraunt everything is spread out thin on those giant metal platters. I try to scrape it into piles to see how much I'm eating but I can't tell. Maybe a third of a cup or maybe I'm deluding myself.

sedonia

[danidance]

My brother, however, is the one in the family who makes the killer frijoles.
They have cheese, lard and milk in them. I can't even venture a guess at the calorie count - it's crazy!

BTW, there's new info out that lard is not that bad after all! not a transfat so....

[Gia al Qamar]

You can bet that you're being served more than a cup of refried beans in a restaurant! That 400+ calories is probably more like 600 calories!
A cup serving is equivalent to about a tightly packed fist. Add the GENEROUS helping of lard and you've got mega calories...
A BETTER bet would be a serving of black beans.
Oddly enough...made at home or even purchased in a can, refried can be a VERY high source of fiber...I buy low fat vegetarian that's only like 35-50 calories a half cup serving!
Gia

[ssipes]

Originally Posted by Gia al Qamar

You can bet that you're being served more than a cup of refried beans in a restaurant!

Oh, yeah I think they serve about a cup but I never eat it all in the restaurant. I take about half home in a box or leave part on my plate. I know they're bad, but I'm still doubting the fitday data.

Oddly enough...made at home or even purchased in a can, refried can be a VERY high source of fiber...I buy low fat vegetarian that's only like 35-50 calories a half cup serving!
Gia

And that is why the canned ones taste like crap, in comparison to the homestyle Mex. restaurant version. Freshly cooked beans at home are delicious if you have time to cook them.

Sedonia

[Gia al Qamar]

Originally Posted by ssipes

And that is why the canned ones taste like crap, in comparison to the homestyle Mex. restaurant version. Freshly cooked beans at home are delicious if you have time to cook them.

Sedonia

Geeze. I like em. Have a tequilla.
Gia