Sardines galore, spaghetti mush, and mercury tuna – which canned foods are worth keeping
and which of your preserved favorites get to hit the road to the dumpster?
Canned pumpkin isn't just for pie or the myriad other goodies that proliferate in autumn. There
are two types of canned pumpkin you'll find on supermarket shelves: pumpkin pie mix and pureed
pumpkin. The latter, according to Livestrong, is a powerhouse of nutrients and vitamins.
There's some confusion as to whether canned pumpkin really is pumpkin,
thanks to the USDA decision that canned "pumpkin" can include golden-fleshed squash. According
to Southern Living, the canned pumpkin brand Libby's uses the Dickinson variety of pumpkin,
an elongated, smooth-skinned varietal akin to butternut squash.
The health benefits of canned pumpkins are impressive. According to OSF Healthcare,
a one-cup serving, canned pumpkin has 7 grams of fiber, which the Mayo Clinic cites as essential
for maintaining gut health and warding off heart disease and some types of cancer.
Canned pumpkin is also loaded with beta-carotene, which improves vision and boosts your immune
system, and other vitamins and minerals that help lower blood pressure and even
assist in weight loss. And according to the American Kennel Club, canned pumpkin is just
as healthful for your fur baby and can help control their occasional gastric distress.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are one of the most popular members of the legume
family. They also have a real historic pedigree, having shown up in ancient
writings in Turkey and France, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Chickpeas are a staple in many cuisines and serve as the basis for hummus and falafel,
as well as a variety of main dishes and salads. Not only are these golden gems delicious,
but they also happen to be seriously nutritious.
"You know, Olive's kind of a cute name if it’s a girl"
"I prefer chickpea."
"Because it's lower in sodium?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Ok."
According to Healthline, Chickpeas are packed with 14.5 grams of protein and 12.5 grams of
fiber per one-cup serving and provide 74% of your daily value of manganese, a mineral
used to treat osteoporosis, arthritis, and post-menstrual syndrome, among other conditions.
Numerous studies have proposed that daily consumption of chickpeas can lower your LDL,
"bad" cholesterol, increase brain function,
and reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Finally, when you open a can of chickpeas, don't immediately strain out the liquid,
because that viscous stuff is liquid gold. Called aquafaba, it can be used as an egg
white substitute for making both sweet and savory goodies, like meringue, mayonnaise, and macarons.
Other than anchovies, canned sardines get a bad rap when compared to other
canned fish. But not only is this fish delicious,
it's a bounty of stuff that's good for you packed four or five in a can.
Mediterraneans have been chowing down on freshly-caught sardines for centuries,
but according to Boutique de France, the French first canned and exported them in 1824.
Their popularity spread throughout Europe,
as did the need for preserved canned foods for soldiers. Sardines are cheap,
come in assorted sauces and flavored oils, and can be dressed up with just a squeeze of lemon.
If you're still averting your nose from this "fishy" fish,
consider the sardine's health benefits. As with many types of oily fish, sardines are high in
omega-3 fatty acids that help prevent heart disease, blood clots, and high blood pressure.
Medical News Today says that sardines are very high in protein, minerals,
and vitamin B12 - an essential vitamin in our diets for supporting healthy brain function,
nerve tissue, and red blood cell regeneration. According to the Mayo Clinic, sardines are also
one of the few canned fishes that are low in mercury and are recommended for pregnant women.
Canned tomatoes are a staple of any well-stocked pantry. Picked and canned at their peak, they can
be almost as juicy and flavorful as fresh ones. The canning process does affect their consistency,
however, so canned tomatoes are best used in pasta sauces, pizza sauces, casseroles, and braises.
According to Healthline, tomatoes are full of vitamin C, potassium,
vitamin K1, vitamin B9, and lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant most concentrated in
the tomato's skin. The redder the tomato, the greater the amount of lycopene in the tomato.
Canning does leach out some of the tomato's vitamins and nutrients, but heating also increases
the amount of lycopene and renders it easier to be absorbed in our bodies. Byproducts of cooked
tomatoes — juice, tomato paste, and ketchup — have higher levels of lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
The positive effects of lycopene have been reported in hundreds of studies, per the
Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, and research strongly suggests that lycopene
consumption can decrease the risk of heart disease and various types of cancer. Some canned tomatoes
have high levels of sodium, though, so look for brands that are processed with no salt.
When in season, a fresh ear of corn bursts with sweetness and flavor. But how many
times have you bitten into an ear of corn only to discover that it's dry and mealy?
"This corn is raw!"
"I know isn't it wonderful? So crisp."
"Of course it's crisp, it's raw!"
Canned corn is an excellent alternative because the veggie is plucked, shucked,
and processed within minutes of being harvested. Corn is among the
more controversial veggies because of its high carb level and possible risks
from being genetically modified, according to Medical News Today.
However, corn isn't the junk vegetable you might think. According to Livestrong,
It's loaded with an array of B vitamins, antioxidants,
and a bucketful of minerals in just half a can. The canning process can
diminish a vegetable's natural vitamins and minerals, but in corn's case, its different.
Canned corn doesn't lose much of its nutrients and is about as healthful as fresh corn,
according to the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Some cans may be high in sodium,
meaning it's a good idea to rinse the canned corn before eating it, according to Livestrong.
If you've ever attempted to prepare a fresh artichoke,
then it's apparent that an artichoke presents a real challenge. Despite its
prickly exterior, the artichoke's heart is toothsome and delicious once cooked.
But few of us have the time to clean several artichokes for a meal. Jarred artichoke hearts
are often available marinated in oil and spices and can make for tasty appetizers. Meanwhile,
canned artichoke hearts are packed in water and salt and can be used in many recipes.
Artichokes are low in fat and calories, high in fiber,
and have especially high levels of antioxidants. Another plus:
cooking fresh artichokes does not radically diminish their nutrients.
In addition, by consuming a single artichoke, according to the National Foundation for Cancer
Research, you'll get a whopping 25% of your daily requirement for vitamin C,
which may be linked to reduced cancer risk. You'll also get
about five to six artichoke hearts in a can, making them a great bargain, too.
Often called a "superfood," beans have almost magical nutritional
properties when it comes to tasks like fighting cancer,
lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol, and improving digestive health, via WebMD.
Beans are low in fat, full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,
and are a staple in plant-based diets around the world. But that can of baked beans or
barbecued beans pretty much negates all of the natural goodness of the humble ingredient.
According to Healthline, baked beans are typically composed of navy beans that aren't always baked,
and depending on the variety, are canned with tomato sauce, sugar, molasses,
salt, and spices. If they're not vegetarian beans, then pork may be in the mix as well.
Normally, a can of regular beans is type 2 diabetes-friendly because of its low glycemic
index, which helps your body balance its levels of blood sugar and insulin. With all of that
added sugar, however, it's clear that baked beans do not belong on any diabetic's plate.
In England, where the Brits love baked beans in tomato sauce,
a 200-gram portion has almost as much sugar as it does fiber,
according to BBC Good Food. Meanwhile, U.S. brands have 12 grams of sugar in a half cup,
which accounts for 20% of the daily limit in a 2000-calorie diet. Baked beans are tasty,
but the healthier option is to make them from scratch yourself and keep an eye on the sugar.
Chef Boyardee and SpaghettiOs are cheap, convenient, and tasty —if you like gummy spaghetti
in thickened sauce with mysteriously-derived meatballs. Personal taste aside, however,
you definitely need to read the label on canned precooked pasta before you purchase another can.
If you compare cans of Chef Boyardee and SpaghettiOs, both with meatballs,
you'll see a remarkable similarity in ingredients. Both are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup,
which, according to Cleveland Clinic, increases the appetite and contributes
to obesity and type 2 diabetes. They're also packed with fat, sodium, and carbohydrates.
Oh, and those meatballs? A main ingredient — prominent
in many processed meats — is mechanically separated chicken,
a paste made by forcing chicken bones through a sieve to collect any edible tissue, per USDA.
"But I love chef."
All kinds of meat are canned today,
but not all canned meat is of the same quality and taste. Spam is, of course,
widely considered to be the king of canned meat (or at least the most recognizable example) and
it has only six ingredients. But like all canned meats, it's high in calories, fat, and sodium.
According to Healthline, you're gambling with your life by consuming any processed meat,
which is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and bowel and stomach cancer.
The absolute worst canned meat you could buy is potted meat,
the primary ingredient of which is mechanically separated chicken,
the paste made from anything considered edible on a chicken carcass.
With 8.06 grams of saturated fat and 2,418 grams of sodium per 100-gram serving, not to mention
high levels of sodium nitrite, it's no wonder that canned potted meat is best left on the shelf.
In the play and film "Steel Magnolias," the
character Truvy shares her recipe for Cuppa Cuppa Cake:
"A cup of flour, a cup of sugar, and a cup of fruit cocktail with the juice [...]”
“I serve it over ice cream to 'cut the sweetness.'"
It's a funny joke, but unfortunately, canned fruit in syrup is a poor choice health-wise. As per
Healthy Canning, canning fruit is more complex than stuffing fruit into a jar and sealing it.
The preferred "hot pack" method retains the fruit's natural juices, while the cheaper and
easier "raw pack" method employs sugar syrup and also compromises the natural taste of the fruit.
The FDA has detailed guidelines for canned fruit cocktails but only for fruit canned in
syrup. Canned fruit cocktail in heavy syrup has 150 calories and 37 grams of sugar in a one-cup
serving. Fruit cocktail canned in juice, however, has only 56 calories and 13 grams of sugar.
Campbell's iconic red-and-white can is frequently found in kitchen pantries
across the world. As per Men's Journal, canned soup can be a nutritious meal, but you need to
read labels before you start congratulating yourself for choosing a healthy option.
Canned soup is infamous for its high level of sodium. As recommended by the American
Heart Association, sodium should be limited to 2,300 milligrams per day.
But Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup has 1,550 milligrams of sodium in
a single-portion can. Campbell's and other brands do have low-sodium soups available,
which are the better choice when it comes to controlling your sodium intake.
Also be cautious with cream-based soups, like New England clam chowder. No doubt you
expect chowder to have high-fat cream or milk, but in Progresso's chowder,
the primary ingredients are soybean oil and modified food starch, a thickener.
These are accompanied by cream and butter,
which are way down on the list and account for fewer than 1% of total ingredients.
The FDA and the EPA advise two or three 4-ounce servings of fish per week,
but tuna is not always the best choice. According to Healthline,
larger fish, like albacore tuna, have high levels of methylmercury.
Medical News Today says exposure to this can have a detrimental effect on
brain function and may even lead to cognitive disorders with serious or long-term exposure.
Pregnant people, breastfeeding mothers, and young children are most susceptible to
mercury poisoning. The FDA still recommends that pregnant women consume eight to 12 ounces of fish
but should avoid albacore tuna, which has three times more mercury than chunk light canned tuna.
Chunk light canned tuna generally contains skipjack, a much smaller tuna species with
a relatively short life span. Skipjack, therefore, doesn't have as much mercury
as albacore because it simply doesn't eat as many other fish for as long a lifespan.
According to the NOAA, Skipjack tuna is also considered to be
a "smart seafood choice" because it's sustainably maintained and harvested.