Canned beans and sodium

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So beans are a pretty regular part of my diet but when they are not the main ingredient, I have always used canned beans rather than cooking up my own as a matter of convenience. Since starting here however I have become very conscious of the sodium in processed foods (shockingly high and I am glad the government is going to do something about it but that is another topic). Anyway, I usually rinse my canned beans and it occurred to me that I am probably rinsing away some of the sodium. So I did a little googling and here is what I found:

"3. Rinse for a minute. We had an independent laboratory analyze the sodium content of three types of canned beans before and after we drained and rinsed them in a colander under running cold water for one minute. The results: On average, in the brands that started out with 230 mg to 360 mg of sodium, nearly a quarter of the sodium went down the drain. In brands that started out with 600 mg to 675 mg, rinsing washed away about a third of the sodium. That means you're still better off buying lower-sodium brands. But it's worth rinsing for a full minute, no matter which brand you buy."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_4_26/ai_54561197/

So I will probably continue to use canned beans at times but I will always rinse for at least a minute!

Replies

  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    Thank you for this information.
  • emmerrs
    emmerrs Posts: 158 Member
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    That's really great to know! Thanks!

    I've found it to be SO difficult to decrease the amount of sodium in my diet.
  • Deebo958
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    I used canned great northern beans for our ham/beans/cornbread dinner the other nite and was shocked to see how much sodium was in them. Pushed me over for the day. Will be more aware from now on!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I make them from scratch instead of canned and then freeze them in the amounts I'd use. Right now I have like 4 bowls in the freezer to use in chili and such later without having to boil a whole pot at once.
  • rnroadrunner
    rnroadrunner Posts: 402 Member
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    thanks for the tip.:drinker:
  • darwintheboxer
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    Never thought about freezing. How long do they last frozen do you think?
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Never thought about freezing. How long do they last frozen do you think?

    I've heard up to a year if properly stored. They don't last more then a month at my house though because we eat them. LOL