Blog

Trying to incorporate a healthier, plant-forward diet this year? Then add canned beans into your weekly meal plan! In this post I’ll cover 5 benefits of canned beans in a healthy diet, as well as provide you with 10 delicious recipes to try on your own! From breakfast to main meals, and of course sweet and salty snack options, you’ll be armed with the best Shaw Kitchen recipes to take your plant-based diet to a whole new level this year using convenient canned beans! 

Disclosure: This post was in collaboration with Bush’s Best to help raise awareness around canned beans. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the work that keeps the Shaw Kitchen thriving!

Health continues to be a priority for many amongst the global fight against the COVID-19 virus, making nutrition that much more important. 

While there is no one “superfood” that can stop one from becoming ill or overcoming a virus, we do know research as well as the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans supports incorporating more plant-based foods, like canned beans, as part of a healthy diet.

To help clear up any confusion around using convenient products like canned beans in a plant-forward diet, let’s jump in and talk about the 5 Benefits of Canned Beans in a Healthy Diet!

#1: Canned Beans promote a plant-based diet! 

Did you know that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually classifies beans as a subgroup of the vegetable group as well as a part of the protein foods group? 

This means canned beans actually deliver two times the nutritional punch!

Plus, because there is no standard definition of what a “plant-based diet” entails, this way of eating doesn’t require my fellow carnivore loving friends to nix their meat all together. Rather, it embraces allowing all foods that fit into a healthy dietary pattern to be enjoyed based on individual preferences and budgets, as well as dietary needs.

I know this can seem confusing, so the way I always paint this picture for my clients is using the “center of the plate” analogy. You want your plant-forward menu items, like canned beans, to be in the center of your plate while adding your favorite animal proteins, like meats, as a fun side or topping. 

Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to do this in the recipes below!

#2: Canned beans add more fiber and nutrients to a balanced diet!  

It’s no secret, Americans continue to fall short in meeting the recommended amount of dietary fiber needed per day (for reference, Americans currently only consume about 15 grams per day when in reality the recommendations are at minimum 20 to 30 grams per day.) 

Given that one serving of canned beans can provide anywhere from 4 to 8 grams of dietary fiber, they’re an excellent way to boost fiber intake too! 
And, despite what you have heard, canned beans are not to be feared if you are following a low sodium diet. In fact, rinsing canned beans is an effective way to reduce total sodium content and improve their health profile with research showing a sodium reduction as much as 41% after draining, or draining and rinsing!

Benefit 3: Canned beans are convenient. 

I think this benefit speaks for itself! There’s nothing more convenient than popping the top off a pantry staple like canned beans to get dinner on the table in under 10 minutes. Canned beans are hands down one of my favorite Shaw Kitchen swaps we use on the regular. 

Plus, canned beans are always in season, bringing year-round value, great taste, and enhanced nutrition to every dish. 

Now, I want you to forget whatever myths you’ve heard about canned beans and safety, like the common misconception I hear surrounding canned foods and how the cans contain a chemical known as bisphenol A (BPA) in their lining. 

According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, 95% of canned food manufacturers today use linings made from acrylic, polyester, non-BPA epoxies or olefin polymers instead of BPA. While I certainly understand the concern surrounding BPA and I myself avoid products with this as well, I want to assure you that you do not have to worry about BPA and canned beans!

These innovative linings were developed to respond to consumer preferences and have proven to be safe and effective. They are approved by regulatory authorities.

#4: Canned beans are affordable.  

Who isn’t looking for ways to save money? Canned beans are extremely affordable and convenient to use. Plus, you can usually find them on sale at your local market! For instance, I just snagged a 5 for $5 deal on five canned beans to replenish my pantry stash with.

And, because they don’t spoil like fresh vegetables, canned beans help reduce food spoilage, meaning families can stretch their food budgets too. 

#5: Canned beans are versatile.

There is a recipe for every dietary type and taste preference when you add more canned beans to your menu! 

Because canned beans encompass such a wide variety of beans (think kidney, black, cannellini, garbanzo, Great Northern, butter, navy, and pinto beans to name a few), there are endless possibilities to create diverse cultural cuisines and dishes. 

From breakfast to main meals to snacks, canned beans have you covered! Checkout the Shaw Kitchen’s favorite recipes below that will hopefully please everyone in your crew!

10 Healthy Recipes Using Canned Beans 

Breakfast Recipes 

• San Antonio Breakfast Skillet with Pinto Bean Gravy 
• Mashed Chickpea Avocado Bagel Toast 

Sandwiches and Burgers 

• Air Fryer Falafel
• Gluten Free Black Bean Burgers  

Appetizers 

• Healthy Nachos Recipe 
• BBQ Hummus

Main Meals

• Homemade Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas 
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili 

Sweet Treats 

• Sweet Hummus Recipe 
• Edible Chickpea Cookie Dough 

Where to get more information and recipes? 

If you are curious about learning more about canned beans, I encourage you to visit cannedbeans.org to find more information as well as some amazing recipes. Be sure to follow the hashtags #OpenthePossibilities and #CannedBeans on social media too for more inspiration in making canned beans a staple part of your weekly diet.

Should you keep an Online Food Diary? This is a very controversial subject depending on the relationship you have with food, body image, and the scale. In this post we’ll break down the pros and cons of keeping an online food dairy as well as who could potentially benefit from this, and who should NOT consider this. There is no one size fits all approach!

Do you feel like you are always looking for ways to improve your health and create better habits? If so, you’ve come to the right place!

Setting health goals that include increasing exercise, eating healthier, or maybe setting aside time for self-care like meditation, can help with motivating you to stay on course. One way many clients of mine have found accountability in achieving these goals is through using an online food diary.

These tools can help you organize and keep track of your nutrition, fitness, and motivation.

In the realm of starting new healthy habits, keeping a food diary can be a great start! After I looked at the evidence-based research, I have sorted it out for you so that you will be able to determine if this task is a good fit.

It may sound daunting or tedious, but research shows that people interested in losing weight can lose twice as much when keeping a food journal in comparison to those who don’t. Sounds appealing, right?

What is a Food Diary

Let’s get started with the basics. A food diary is a place to track your food and reflect on your nutrition. It can help you gain an understanding of how much and what you are eating.

The key to journaling is accuracy.

People often underreport how much they are eating, giving them a false sense of how much they are actually intaking. Research has shown some pros and cons to this method, which means it’s not the end-all, be-all to starting a healthy lifestyle.

But, to know if it could be a good fit for you we’ll have to dive deeper into what the research has to say about keeping a food diary. 

Benefits of a Food Diary

A food diary is a beneficial habit to start to help achieve your goals. Some benefits to keeping a food diary are to:

• Attain weight loss
• Make healthier food choices 
• Detect allergens/deficiencies
• Detect food triggers  

Weight loss

By keeping track of your food with a food diary it may help settle any unhealthy habits that you’ve been trying to break. For example, unnecessary snacking due to boredom.

Logging your intakes can give you a moment to take a step back and check in with yourself to see if you are actually hungry.

Once you have a nutrition or caloric goal that you want to accomplish for the day, you will be less likely to overeat.

Your goal could be to lessen your caloric intake or simply be not wanting to write down that you consumed four servings of chips again (no judgment here, but we are working to break those habits!)

Better Nutrition

To attain better nutritional habits it is good to look at physical triggers that lead to common food habits. Environmental stressors play an important role in food choices.

By jotting down what you ate in you online food diary during a stressful time, or in an emotional state, you will begin to notice a pattern on how that may lead to poor eating behaviors.

Keeping track of the place and time that you’re consuming a meal will help regulate eating habits. Also, you can determine what environments leads you to making healthier decisions. 

Detect intolerances 

Ever feel like some days you are extra bloated, your skins acting up, or your tummy tends to hurt, but you can’t figure out the cause? Food journaling may help you identify what is causing these symptoms! 

Once noted you can try eliminating this food with the help of a dietitian from your diet temporarily and note any noticeable differences. 

Who Should Consider Using a Food Diary

If you have a healthy relationship with food and your body (i.e. do not obsess over intrusive thoughts related to food, body image, or the scale), then an online food diary could be a great asset for you!

Specifically, someone who does not have an eating disorder, or someone without disordered eating tendencies or thoughts but wants to improve their health and nutrition.

Who Should NOT Use a Food Diary

Individuals who struggle with obsessive thoughts around food, body image, and/or the scale. People who have a diagnosed eating disorder or eating disorder tendencies should also not consider starting an online food diary.

Cons of a Food Diary

Research has shown shame, judgment, or obsession associated with food journaling. Some people reported they felt they should avoid social events because of the unknown ingredients they would not be able to track.

Although the beauty of this method is that it doesn’t have to be long-term, it can feel daunting and challenging to fit in (even if done electronically) in an already busy schedule.

Though studies have validated that participants show significant changes in weight loss over a long period of time after tracking for only 9-months, it still may not be the right fit for you.

If you do want to give it a try, set a goal for 7 days. Carve out time before or right after you eat to quickly insert your meals. I promise, this can go a LONG way to help reach your goals. Plus, an online food diary or app makes the process much faster than traditional handwritten pen and paper.  

How to start a Food Diary

Now that we have an understanding, does food journaling seem like the right fit for you? Traditionally you can get out pen and paper, but studies have reported that an electronic journal is found to be much more efficient.

To begin, you must be specific! I’m talking down to the brand type, serving size, preparation method (oils, salt, etc.), and any sauces you ate with it. Note the time you are consuming meals, this will help if trying to cut out late-night snacking habits.

Most importantly, this is YOUR journal you can add any emotions you feel after or during the meal, or just use it simply for calorie counting. 

Tips:

• Use an online source or app
• Be sure to include liquids as well (calories from these sources can be quick to add up) 
• Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based) 

Food journaling may not be the “thing” for you especially if you start to gain negative emotions around it. But, knowing the pros and cons of the process helps decipher if it sounds like a good fit for your lifestyle.

The great part of a food diary is that you don’t have to track calories. It can be for your own awareness. For example, trying to get in more vegetables a day or to end the cycle of late-night snacking. A food diary is a place to put down this information, track emotions to the food, and start working to achieve those goals.

Adding calorie tracking may or may not work for you but is by no means necessary for you to lose weight. Mood, location, and time of day should all be included in your journal to note triggers to your unhealthy habits.

Find some time to sit down and try an online food diary to see if this could be your new healthy habit!