Sodium
Canned beans
Draft · dietitian review pending
What actually happens
Brine adds sodium.
The fix
No-salt-added, or rinse (about 40% less).
The numbers
- Sodium cut by rinsing
- about 40%
Canned beans are one of the good guys. Fibre, protein, cheap, and ready in the time it takes to find the can opener.
The catch is the liquid they sit in. It's brine, and it brings sodium along for the ride.
There are two fixes, and both are easy. Buy no-salt-added cans when the store has them. When it doesn't, drain the beans and rinse them under the tap. Rinsing cuts the sodium by about 40%. That's a lot of sodium for half a minute at the sink.
Rinsing is just part of opening a can now. Can opener, colander, tap. I don't think about it any more.
Beans show up all over my week, from the black beans in my breakfast wrap to a big bowl of Bohnensalat. One small habit, repeated that often, adds up. It's the easiest win on this whole list.