Are Fresh Green Beans More Nutritious Than Canned Green Beans?

Inexperienced beans are a flexible, nutritious addition to any meal—however are recent or canned variations higher to your dinner desk? Registered dietitians weigh in on the recent inexperienced beans vs. canned inexperienced beans debate, and which packs extra vitamins and sodium content material.

Taking a look at diet info alone, recent inexperienced beans have a slight dietary edge over canned inexperienced beans due to their increased vitamin C, potassium, and fiber content material, together with minimal sodium, Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian at Completely Nourished, advised Well being. 

However the true “winner” is the choice that helps you eat inexperienced beans most persistently—even when which means you could attain for the canned choice. “If recent inexperienced beans are onerous to search out, costly, or are likely to spoil earlier than you employ them, canned inexperienced beans could be a very sensible various,” mentioned Routhenstein.

Any approach you eat beans is a bonus to your well being—analysis exhibits that bean consumption (together with canned varieties) may help you get key vitamins, enhance the general high quality of your food regimen, and assist you to with weight administration.

Contemporary and canned inexperienced beans are fairly nutritionally related: “Each present fiber, nutritional vitamins, minerals, and helpful plant compounds that assist total well being,” mentioned Routhenstein.

However there are some smaller variations in dietary worth. “Contemporary inexperienced beans are picked at peak dietary worth, however vitamins are misplaced over time, particularly if not correctly saved [and during canning]” Kimberly R. Dong, DrPH, MS, RD, a registered dietitian, affiliate professor within the Division of Public Well being and Group Drugs at Tufts College College of Drugs, and director of the Public Well being Program and Tufts COHERE, advised Well being.

However the major issue to contemplate when evaluating recent inexperienced beans and canned inexperienced beans is sodium content material. “Many canned inexperienced beans include added salt, which could be a concern for somebody that’s managing their blood strain,” Matthew J. Landry, PhD, RDN, FAND, FAHA, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of inhabitants well being and illness prevention at UC Irvine Joe C. Wen College of Inhabitants & Public Well being, advised Well being.

Right here’s a greater have a look at how recent inexperienced beans evaluate to canned inexperienced beans: