Beans: Fresh or Canned?

Whether or not you are vegetarian, vegan or just cutting back on meat, beans are a wonderful source of plant based protein. They contain a wide range of cancer fighting chemicals such as isoflavones and phytosterols. And they can help lower your cholesterol, increase the amount of beneficial fiber in your diet and help moderate blood glucose fluctuations.

But they are not always easy or convenient to prepare fresh. I've been complimented more than once on the "nuts" in my home made chili because no matter how long I soaked or cooked the beans they never seemed to be done. So what about using canned beans? Are there enough nutritional advantages to starting from scratch to make it worth the effort?

Probably not.

The soaking, cooking and canning processes can lower the nutritional content of beans, but not very much. Fresh or canned, beans remain a good source of protein, fiber and nutrients. And canned beans are ready to eat right out of the can - a big plus in my book.

But there is a drawback to canned beans. Like almost all canned foods, they can be very high in sodium content. Some canned beans offer you 450 - 475mg of sodium per serving (about 1/3 of a 15oz can). Canned chili can be much higher. But there are two ways you can improve on that.

Look for "low sodium" versions. These can be as low as 120mg per serving.

And always rinse the beans thoroughly in water. This can reduce the sodium content by as much as 40%.

Either way, enjoy "the musical fruit" and make beans a regular part of your diet.