I don’t want to spend hours and hours in the kitchen making food these days.
That’s why I always have canned foods in my pantry. They make cooking easier and add nutrition to my meals. So I can make salads, wraps, and soups quickly, I often keep garbanzo beans, chicken, diced tomatoes, and black beans in the cupboard.
In fact, canned foods are easy to use and don’t cost much more than fresh or cold foods. They let you eat things that are in season all year.
Although some canned foods have a bad reputation for being high in sodium, there are many options that are either completely salted or have very little salt.
To sum up, getting healthier doesn’t require going to fancy health food stores or spending a lot of money on food. Foods in cans are cheap and can make eating healthy easy.
Best Canned Foods for Your Healthy Eating
Here are 7 of the best canned foods for you.
1. Meat and fish
Meat and fish in a can are great, cheap sources of energy.
Make sure to purchase meats canned in water or brine rather than oil or sauces to reduce fat and calories.
A hundred grams (3.5 ounces) of tuna canned in oil contains 200 calories and 8 grams of fat, whereas the same amount of tuna canned in water contains only 90 calories and 1 gram of fat.
You can get a lot of energy from canned salmon, tuna, sardines, and chicken.
Nutrition
It’s very low in fat and high in protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Try canned chicken. Canned fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients may lower the risk of heart disease.
Uses
It’s easy to make cakes, dips, pasta, salads, soups, and quesadillas on the stove with meat and fish that come in a can.
2. Beans
Garbanzo beans, pinto beans, black beans, red kidney beans, and lima beans are all beans that come in a can. Not only are they important for vegan and vegetarian diets, but they also save you a lot of time because you don’t have to soak dried beans for hours before cooking them.
Nutrition
Most of the time, beans in a can are low in fat and high in protein and fiber.
A meal high in fiber is crucial for lowering cholesterol and weight. Fiber makes you feel full for longer, which might help you eat less overall.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends selecting canned foods without added salt. That’s because eating a lot of salt can make your blood pressure go up, which can make you more likely to have a stroke, kidney disease, or heart problems.
Check the package to see if it says “not salted” or “no salt added.” If the beans have salt or sodium in them, you should drain and clean them before using them.
Uses
Beans in a can are excellent for making soups, stews, chili, salads, fresh salsas, casseroles, meat meals, and baked goods.
3. Coconut milk
This nondairy milk substitute works well in many recipes because it is slightly sweet.
Nutrition
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) make up the majority of the fat in coconut milk, despite its high fat content.
Although more research is required, MCTs may benefit your heart more than butter in some ways, such as by raising your HDL (good) cholesterol.
Uses
The creaminess of coconut milk makes smoothies, soups, dips, sauces, coffee, marinades, and sweets taste better.
4. Mandarin oranges
You don’t have to deal with peels. This naturally sweet and sour fruit is full of good things for you.
Still, if you want to eat less extra sugar, it’s better to get mandarin oranges in juice instead of syrup.
Nutrition
That’s only 6% of the daily value for folate, 12% of the daily value for vitamin A, and 94% of the daily value for vitamin C in 1 cup (249 grams).Folate is important for pregnancy because a lack of it can affect the baby’s growth.
Many foods today add folate to prevent this from happening. Vitamin A-rich foods, such as mandarin oranges, may help keep you from developing conditions like night blindness.Cans of mandarin oranges may also help prevent vitamin C deficiency, which is associated with a compromised immune system.
Uses
You can eat mandarin oranges straight from the can, add them to baked goods, or use them as a topping for yogurt, cottage cheese, or soups.
5. Olives
Olives are more than just a pretty garnish for your martini glass. They have a unique taste and are good for you.
Nutrition
100 grams (3.5 ounces) of canned olives have 7% of your daily value for calcium, 35% of your daily value for iron, and 11% of your daily value for vitamin E.
Iron and vitamin E are both important for your body because iron helps your red blood cells carry oxygen around, and vitamin E fights inflammation.
It’s also very salty to eat olives from a can. Sodium is an important mineral, but too much of it can cause high blood pressure.
As a result, it’s important to find salt-free varieties.
Uses
You can put olives on pizza, sandwiches, soups, hummus, and tapenade. Many individuals enjoy their presence on meat platters.
6. Jackfruit
This tropical fruit is known for being difficult to open, so it’s good that it comes in a can. A lot of vegans and vegetarians like to use jackfruit instead of pulled pork.
Nutrition
Jackfruit is low in calories and may help you lose weight. It contains only 16 calories in two ounces (56 grams). It’s also better for your heart than meat because it doesn’t have any fat or cholesterol.
Uses
You can put jackfruit inside tacos or tamales, and it’s also a healthy thing to put in stir-fries and fried rice.
7. Pumpkin
With canned pumpkin, you can smell autumn all year. It’s also very good for you.
Nutrition
There are 7 grams of fiber in a cup (245 grams) of canned pumpkin. It also contains 45% of magnesium’s daily value, 10% of potassium and vitamin C’s daily value, and 208% of vitamin A’s daily value.
Fiber may help you avoid constipation by keeping your gut moving. It may also aid in weight loss by making you feel full. On the other hand, vitamin A is important for keeping your eyes healthy.
Uses
Not only is canned pumpkin great in sweets like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, but it’s also great in soups, smoothies, mousse, pudding, and pasta dishes.
A few canned foods to avoid
It’s best to stay away from canned foods that have too much salt or sugar.
Choose canned vegetables in their own juice or water, then check the nutrition facts to determine their sodium content.
Fruit canned in syrup
If you want to buy canned fruits, choose the ones that are only canned in water or their own juice. Compared to those canned in syrup, these fruits contain less sugar.
Both kids and people who eat a lot of sugar are more likely to be hyperactive, have brain problems, and be overweight or obese.
High sodium items
Soups, pastas, and foods that come in a can may have a lot of sodium, which can make you more likely to get heart failure or high blood pressure. Homemade products allow you to control sodium content.
The AHA says that foods with less than 140 mg of sodium per serving are low in sodium. To cut down on salt, read the labels on canned foods.
The bottom line
Eating well doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Cans of food are cheap, easy to prepare, and full of healthy nutrients. You can use them in many recipes and they keep well for a long time.
Always check the nutrition facts label to see if a canned food fits your eating habits.
