The Human Bean: 40 days on a tin-bean diet

The Human Bean: 40 days on a tin-bean diet

Inspired by a half-page scene in John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat, where a family of poor, super healthy kids eat an almost exclusive bean diet, Beau decides to do much the same thing.

Eating only the contents of 191 tins of beans over 40 days transforms Beau into The Human Bean, and in doing so gives him a front row seat into how one food, totally and utterly, dictates how he feels. Beau uses his intimate knowledge of running to compare his former self to his bean-self, logging lacklustre training for an ultramarathon that he plans on running during the final day of the experiment. Epiphanies are had, saddles are blazed, and genuine insight emerges from what is strangely appealing day-to-day of mediocrity.

Produced and Directed by Beau Miles
Produced and Edited by Mitch Drummond

Official Selection: The Trail Running Film Festival, 2020.

Music:
El Mayor by Las Pampas
Eminence Landscape (Ins) by Ian Post
The Bluff of a Clown (Ins) by Anthony Lazaro
Days Pass by ANBR
Blanket (Ins) by Lance Conrad
Handpanaphone by David Charrier
Don’t Run Away by Max Apollo
Cat and Mouse (Ins) by Michael McQuaid
Fel Mocoso by Las Pampas
With Some Malice by Francesco D’Andrea

Beans eaten:
80 tins of organic baked beans in tomato sauce (13.8% carbs)
30 tins of organic kidney beans (5% carbs)
20 tins of organic blackbeans (12.5% carbs)
40 tins of four bean mix (10.5%)
10 tins Mexican bean mix (9% carbs)
10 tins butter beans (13% carbs)
1 tin of giant greek(?) beans (17% carbs)

50 Comments

  1. Kevin Tenuta on October 16, 2021 at 8:45 am

    i did a diet a few years ago where i only ate beans & rice.. and salad of tuna fish potatoes and baby leaf spinach… i ate the same thing every day… i didnt lose any weight but felt more healthy than my normal diet

  2. Lankey Bastard on October 16, 2021 at 8:46 am

    This has bean quite the journey!

  3. rol pen on October 16, 2021 at 8:46 am

    BEANS !!!!

  4. Jacob Simons on October 16, 2021 at 8:48 am

    What yellow firefighter tshirt are you wearing!!?

  5. Em Jay on October 16, 2021 at 8:49 am

    I’m curious; how tall are you, Beau ?

  6. K M on October 16, 2021 at 8:50 am

    Beau, you are such an inspiring person. Can’t help but think you’re a great guy. So positive. I’m coming out of addiction slowly after years and stumbled across this video in particular some months ago and have watched all of your videos since. You’re a legend and seem like a proper gent. Much love from Ireland 🇮🇪, thanks Beau. If we could all be like you! Good on ya!

  7. Sam Boriboun on October 16, 2021 at 8:50 am

    Hes bean telling good stories

  8. Moose Philotus on October 16, 2021 at 8:51 am

    He should be able heat his own tent.

  9. Kyu Kyu on October 16, 2021 at 8:52 am

    Yooooo I’m hella broke right now and have been living off of Indian style bean dishes that I’ve been coming up with for a couple weeks now lol. I haven’t even watched this whole thing yet but you’re awesome! I can already tell!

    Hopefully you have good things to say about living off of beans only cause that’s pretty much what I can afford right now lol. Off to a good start with that great depression era story! I have high hopes lol (for my health lol)

    Also wtf lol just got to the point in the video where you use tea to keep your sanity…

    I’m doing the same fucking thing. Are you my brother from another mother or something? 😆

    Ohh gas too… Good thing I live alone. Maybe I should figure out a way to harness my farts might save on the energy bill.

  10. YerocMc on October 16, 2021 at 8:54 am

    Wait I’m I missing something!! He done a ultra marathon that was 50km? Which is only around 30 miles and a normal marathon is 26 miles. So why is it an ultra marathon?

    Edit: never mind the shortest ultra is anything more than 30.3miles

  11. Filip Selakovic on October 16, 2021 at 8:56 am

    Just a reminder for anyone watching, this is good if you can’t afford anything else, or if you’re in an apocalypse. Otherwise, and I say this because the world abounds in fad diets built on reciprocal ignorance – and they often get pushed on children, don’t commit the fallacy of ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’, i.e. don’t think that he’s fit as a horse because of his bean diet, he’s incredibly healthy because of his lifestyle, which allows him to live off beans. It would obviously be better for him to eat meat along with other legumes, and an ideal diet involves regular dairy consumption as well. Fruit is good for you as long as you don’t make it the cornerstone of your diet. You can ‘cheat’ with grains, and occasionally be human and have something sugary or heavily salted. Always be active.

  12. Brian Frahm on October 16, 2021 at 8:57 am

    Such a magnificent story.

  13. Timo Linder on October 16, 2021 at 8:57 am

    Has bean surprisingly interesting.

  14. नारायण on October 16, 2021 at 8:58 am

    Hello, Mr Beans

  15. David Brown on October 16, 2021 at 8:59 am

    Very interesting! But stupid. NOTHING said you couldn’t add spices/flavorings to your beans. OR, if this were a purely existential mind experiment, why pick more than one kind of bean to eat?

  16. Rich Jansen on October 16, 2021 at 8:59 am

    Having watched this I felt inspired to crack open a tin of ‘black eyed beans in water’ for my lunch. They are bland to say the least… Were any of Beau’s beans a saucier option?

  17. nick sass on October 16, 2021 at 9:00 am

    What kinda black licorice!

  18. Daniel Rice on October 16, 2021 at 9:01 am

    I love Tortilla Flat and the part about the black beans often crosses my mind when eating them. Thanks for trying this experiment for me!

  19. Kyu Kyu on October 16, 2021 at 9:02 am

    Beautiful mate! Well done! I loved every moment! Cheers to you and all your loved ones. Looks like I’ll be just fine!

  20. klekaelly on October 16, 2021 at 9:03 am

    I went and opened a can of beans just to get a taste of what this was like. Cheers.

  21. Brisbane River - the whole journey on October 16, 2021 at 9:05 am

    I’m watching this because of the great storytelling – and out of a morbid sense of fascination.

  22. Jordan Mucka on October 16, 2021 at 9:07 am

    stumbled across your channel a few days ago. your channel is a hidden gem on youtube. your production/editing is on point and you spread a nice happy message with education> keep it up bro <3 love from england

  23. ewok100 on October 16, 2021 at 9:11 am

    5:08 is gorgeous! Is that Bunyip state Park?

  24. LG1031 on October 16, 2021 at 9:12 am

    22:00 Physicists say we are all made of stardust… except beau, he’s made of beans.

  25. Al Sharif on October 16, 2021 at 9:13 am

    As a new Bean researcher, I loved every single bit of this beautiful video. I relate with some of your observations, much respect.

  26. Joseph Stealin on October 16, 2021 at 9:14 am

    That must have bean tough.

  27. InkySquid 45 on October 16, 2021 at 9:16 am

    I love beans lol r/beanproblems

  28. Matthew Thomas on October 16, 2021 at 9:21 am

    Dude all im giving you is beans

  29. cs29 on October 16, 2021 at 9:21 am

    17:36 Possibly the most logical sentence of all time…

  30. Daniel Winter on October 16, 2021 at 9:21 am

    Are you still thinking about thos Beans?

  31. Earl Utt on October 16, 2021 at 9:23 am

    Your carb numbers are off…the lowest carb beans I have in my pantry are plain black bean which have 14 grams of net carbs (after subtracting the fiber) per 110 calorie serving…at 4 calories per gram of carbs, that’s 56 calories of carbs in a 110 calorie serving, or 51% carbs. It looked like you were eating some beans that had additional sauce in them which would most likely be higher carbs. Bush’s vegetarian baked beans are about 67% carbs. As a low carb dieter I can tell you beans are not low carb food. You were getting to lots of carbs. While beans have lots of protein, it is not complete protein…maybe the missing amino acids would explain the lack of energy.

  32. A E V A on October 16, 2021 at 9:25 am

    You might have misunderstood the Mr. Bean character mate

  33. Jay Roland on October 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

    This experiment actually showed that the bean diet was superior to that of his typical diet.
    I’m sure abstaining from the empty calories in alcohol was significant in losing 4 kg of body fat.

  34. Cherry_Blossom on October 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

    Hi Beau, I enjoy watching you to live on beans for 40 days. I eat beans on average 2-3 times a week but properly soaked and cooked for heath reasons ie to increase fibre and lower cholesterol and many others benifits from beans. One I thing I’m wondering was how was your health whether you had checkup after have any signs of health issues.

  35. Internet Internet on October 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

    Imagine the amount of salt & sugar in some of those cans.

  36. thecommenter on October 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

    The title of this video reminds me of a funny meme video on youtube titled "The Captcha" with a character from the game Team Fortress 2 and playing the music "A Real Hero" by College. Its only 1 minute and 15 seconds. Look it up :).

  37. Rob The Vampire Slayer on October 16, 2021 at 9:31 am

    Did it ever occur to you to use a bowl?

  38. R20 on October 16, 2021 at 9:31 am

    How long did it take for you to stop having gas and diarrhea from the beans?

  39. Kai Buchan on October 16, 2021 at 9:31 am

    beans

  40. The SkrubLords on October 16, 2021 at 9:32 am

    Anyone here from ear biscuits?

  41. David Alexander on October 16, 2021 at 9:35 am

    I finally know why hobos are always so disgruntled.

  42. Divination Lady on October 16, 2021 at 9:36 am

    You sir, are an inspiration…in a strange, bean filled way.

  43. Spilled Maxdog on October 16, 2021 at 9:36 am

    absolutely love the insight and the videos!

  44. Jonathan Oxley on October 16, 2021 at 9:38 am

    Imagine: Beau Miles on a Joe Rogan Experience Podcast.

  45. Kerim K on October 16, 2021 at 9:39 am

    I recently finish that book! I read bacause Beau mentioned it in another video.

  46. Kelsey Frazier on October 16, 2021 at 9:39 am

    67% live this way for 10 years to survive KIDNEY BEANS RULE! GREAT VIDEO I thought I was the only one! everybody walks off when I start talking about beans…You needed that cheese!!!

  47. agaskamp on October 16, 2021 at 9:39 am

    The tortillas would have helped. The combo of corn and beans ups the nutrition. Great video, well told. Great job.

  48. Ryder Donovan on October 16, 2021 at 9:41 am

    Beeeaaaannzzzz

  49. Joey DR14 on October 16, 2021 at 9:42 am

    This was the first 13 years of my life

  50. eyelidz on October 16, 2021 at 9:42 am

    too funny

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