Canning

Have you ever wondered what happens to food in the canning process?  Well, here it is courtesy of George once again.  In particular, take note of the last paragraph. 

Canning is a high heat process that can destroy nutrients. Yet, how this can affect food really depends upon the food in question. As such, I usually like to address this question from two perspectives: that of fruits and vegetables, and that of beans.

Fruits and vegetables are especially important sources of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients like carotenoids and flavonoids. In some cases, these particular nutrients can be very difficult to obtain from any other food group. Vitamins and phytonutrients are especially susceptible to degradation from heat. This combination of food group uniqueness and heat susceptibility makes the canning of fruits and vegetables a fairly high-risk process in terms of nourishment.

Because canning most often involves high heat, it can rob foods of vast amounts of nutrients. For example, in the process of canning mixed vegetables, the vitamin C loss can be as high as 67%. During the canning of tomato juice, up to 70% of the original folic acid can be lost.

Yet, for several reasons, I look at this issue a little differently for beans. First, even though beans contain important amounts of vitamins and phytonutrients, their protein, fiber, and mineral content is one of their most valuable contributions to a Healthiest Way of Eating. Heating does not damage protein, fiber, and minerals in the same way as it can damage vitamins and phytonutrients. You can expect to receive fairly full protein, fiber, and mineral benefits from canned beans-in much the same way as you would receive these same benefits from dry beans cooked at home. Second, unlike fruits and vegetables, beans cannot be eaten raw. Beans have to be cooked (or processed in some other way, like sprouted); not only do they have to be cooked, they have to be cooked for a fairly extensive period of time. In other words, when it comes to cooking, canning and from-scratch preparation are not altogether different.

So, if enjoying canned beans is more convenient for you, by all means go ahead and enjoy them although I would suggest looking for cans that do not feature Bisphenol A. I would suggest looking for those that do not contain additives and have minimal added salt (150-300 milligrams per cup), and if possible, select canned beans that have been organically grown.