Australian Healthy Food Guide – September 2019

14 healthyfoodguide.com.au

MelissaMeier,

Healthy Food

Guide Accredited

Practising Dietitian

C

heap, tasty and

versatile, baked

beans are a humble

pantry staple that tick a lot

of boxes — and you’ll be

pleased to know they can

be a shining star when it

comes to nutrition, too.

Beans are a good source

of plant-based protein

to build and maintain

strong muscles, as

well as fi bre to fi ght

hunger and to

support healthy

digestion.

As a member of

the legume family,

beans — along with

chickpeas and lentils

— have been linked to a

reduced risk of heart disease,

diabetes and even certain

types of cancer. And here’s a

fun fact for your next game of

trivia — you can count baked

beans towards your fi ve

serves of veg a day, too!

Its true, however, that

some varieties of baked

beans can be a little heavy

in added sugar and salt.

Generally, a

educed-salt

ption in

mato sauce

best bet.

Varieties with smoked sauces

and sausages can have close

to 1000mg sodium per serve

— that’s half your recommended

daily limit! Look for less than

400mg sodium per 100g.

Check the ingredients list

for sugar, too. If you spot

sugar in the fi rst couple of

ingredients, give it a miss.

Aim for a can with less than

5g of sugar per 100g.

Q

Ilovebakedbeansforbreakfast,

but I’ve heard they are quite high

in salt and sugar. Is that really true?

Dean S, NSW

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editor@healthy

foodguide.com.au

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newsbites

Text: Dan Winter & Brooke Delfino. Photos: iStock.

NEVER

TOO YOUNG

Bowel cancer is on the rise

among younger people in

Australia, increasing up to

2.9 per cent each year for

under-50s in the 10 years

to 2014. That means it’s

never too early to lift your

fi bre intake — or to start

screening, especially for

those with a family history.

The Lancet, 2019

hfg NEWS