BEANS, LENTILS, AND OTHER LEGUMES
The American Heart Association recommends adding beans, lentils, and legumes to your heart-healthy diet. As a protein source, beans and lentils provide some protein, but not as much as in animal sources. However, these legumes also pack a lot of fiber, without the saturated fat found in some other protein sources like meat. The fiber in legumes helps your heart by lowering the bad cholesterol in your bloodstream.
If you buy canned beans, which are admittedly more convenient to prepare compared to fresh beans, be choosy with what else is in the can. Some canned beans are packed in brine, which would contain far more salt than what you would want to add to your diet. The brine is there to help preserve the beans, not to be added to whatever dish you’re cooking with the beans in it. If your beans are canned in brine, make sure to drain the beans of the brine to get as little extra salt as possible. If possible, it would be better to choose beans that are canned without brine. Of course, compared to the nutritional value of canned beans, fresh beans, lentils, and legumes would still be the best.
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