Are dry beans you cook yourself more nutritious than canned ones? Amazingly, dry beans, as opposed to fresh beans, loose very little nutrition when canned. The greatest loss is in fiber and that isn’t much. Canning greatly reduces the water soluble vitamins, ie. C and b complexes, however these are usually added back in the form of vitamin supplements. However, for those avoiding sodium, should most definitely cook your own beans. The difference between those you cook yourself and those in cans is significant. For example: ½ cup of kidney beans you cook yourself contains 2 mg of sodium while canned, low sodium contain 436 mg of sodium, yes, low sodium! Dry Lima beans you cook your self contain 3 mg of sodium while the canned contain 405. Pinto beans you cook your self contain 2 mg of sodium, canned ones, 353!

You will find a variety of recipes that use beans. For most of them you may use canned or start from scratch beans. To me the advantages of cook from scratch beans are, first the expense, particularly if you use a lot of beans. Most types of dry beans cost less than a dollar a pound and remember, you will get nearly double their volume in product once they are cooked. Also, there is just so much sodium in canned beans that I try to stay away from them. I also prefer the texture of from scratch beans better than canned.

Also, using canned or from scratch beans will greatly depend on what you are using them for. If for example, you simply want to put a few beans in a salad or a burrito, then perhaps opening a can is more efficient and convenient, if however you are planning a meal based around beans or a bean dish, it is probably a good idea to cook your beans from scratch.

Beans are an excellent source of vegetable protein and do not need to be augmented with an animal product at all. Beans are extremely low in fat and have no cholesterol, if that is you cook them with olive oil instead of the traditional lard.

Most cooked beans contain per ½ cup serving about: 120 calories, 8 g of protein, 22 g of complex carbs (the good kind), 8 g of fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, 23 mg calcium, 1.5 mg iron, plus other vitamins and minerals. That’s pretty darn good for something that costs less than a buck a pound and is kind to your heart and arteries. Of course just how heart and artery friendly they are depends on what you add to them.

So, be happy, and heart healthy, eat beans.