The REAL health benefits of beans on toast, as top nutritionists say adored meal is good for you

It’s a household favorite across Britain, adored by students on the bread border and anyone desperate for an easy meal.

And despite being considered unhealthy for years, top nutritionists gave beans on toast their support this week.

According to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), both components can be part of a healthy diet, even though both components are technically ultra-processed foods.

Along with fish fingers, whole-grain cereal and fruit yogurt, the BNF stressed that beans on toast are a source of “important nutrients” and that they are “convenient and affordable.”

From low in calories to full of fiber and high in protein, MailOnline has rounded up all the health benefits of the wallet-friendly meal…

When made with two slices of whole wheat bread and half a can of Heinz Baked Beans — string beans served in a tomato sauce spiced with paprika — the meal contains about 350 calories.

This is just 14 percent of a man’s 2,500 recommended daily calories and 18 percent of a woman’s 2,000 — the average amount needed per day to maintain weight.

By comparison, a Big Mac, which is less filling, has about 500.

Plus, beans on toast are packed with fiber, with about 13 g per serving.

Adults are advised to have 30g per day, but the NHS notes most only have about 20g per day.

Eating plenty of fiber, also known as roughage, has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.

Fiber also increases feelings of fullness, which can reduce the risk of overeating, and aids digestion.

The meal is packed with 18.2g of protein, which is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues, muscles and bones.

Men should get about 56g of protein per day, while women are advised to consume about 45g, but the intake depends on weight and how much exercise a person does.

Beans on toast are also low in sugar, containing 11.9 g, some of which is natural, and 0.5 g of saturated fat.

Health chiefs recommend limiting intake of both food components, as a diet high in sugar can lead to weight gain and tooth decay, while saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

UK guidelines state that adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars per day, while men should limit saturated fat to 30g and women no more than 20g.

And because the meal includes baked beans, it counts toward one of your five a day.

That’s because each serving of beans or lentils — about 80 g or three heaping tablespoons — counts toward the goal.

There are also many vitamins in just one can of beans, including iron, zinc, B vitamins and potassium.

Iron helps maintain healthy blood and zinc helps make new cells and enzymes.

Meanwhile, B vitamins help keep your nervous system healthy and potassium helps control fluid balance in the body, according to the NHS.

Beans on toast were praised by nutritionists yesterday for its health benefits, despite both supermarket bread and baked beans being classified as ultra-processed foods.

Anything made edible with dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives automatically falls into the ultra-processed category under the Nova food classification system.

Some countries, such as France, Belgium and Brazil, have used ultra-processed foods in official guidelines and advise people to eat less.

But the BNF published a position statement yesterday, urging the UK government not to include ultra-processed foods in national dietary guidelines.

Nutritionists divide foods into three groups based on the amount of processing they have undergone. Minimally processed foods, such as apples, are usually exactly as they occur in nature. Processed foods, such as applesauce, have gone through at least one level of processing that has changed their original form. In contrast, ultra-processed foods, such as apple jelly babies, have gone through multiple levels of processing and are usually loaded with extra fats, colorings, and preservatives.

It warned there is a “lack of an agreed definition” about which foods fall into the category and is concerned about its “usefulness as a tool to identify healthier products.”

For example, wholemeal bread and baked beans, as well as wholemeal breakfast cereals, fruit yoghurts and fish fingers are usually classified as ultra-processed.

But “these can be a convenient and affordable source of some important nutrients,” according to the BNF.

Bridget Benelam, a BNF spokesperson said: ‘For many of us when we come home after a busy day, foods such as baked beans, wholemeal toast, fish fingers or ready-made pasta sauces are an affordable way to put a balanced meal on the table. to get. fast.

“These can be classified as ultra-processed, but can still be part of a healthy diet.”

She added, “It’s great if you can cook from scratch when you have the time, but I know it’s often not an option for me as a working parent.

‘We need to make healthy eating easier and more affordable, not harder and more expensive.

“Choosing healthier processed foods is one way to help people fit healthy eating into their lives.”

WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?

Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS

• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count

• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat muesli biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and a large baked potato with skin

• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat, lower-sugar options

• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fatty)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities

• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day

• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide