In a utopian setting, we would all be making meals from scratch using only the freshest ingredients. But in the real world, often we don’t have the energy or time for such kitchen tasks and are seeking much needed shortcuts. Besides, fresh ingredients like vegetables and fish can be crazy expensive and not always as fresh-tasting as we hope. Enter canned food.
Certainly, canned foods can be a hack to getting meals on the table quicker and with less effort. Yet they often get a bad rap and are thought to be much less nutritious and flavorful than fresh or even frozen foods. But the truth is that many canned foods are typically still nutrient-rich because the canning process has less impact on nutrition than you may think.
In one study in the journal Nutrients, people who ate six or more canned items per week had higher intakes of 17 essential nutrients, compared with those who ate two or fewer canned items per week. No word if Spam was in the count. Some options like beans, fish, and yes, chicken, give you a healthy dose of inexpensive protein to help your physique-building efforts. All this means they can be a convenient and economical way to improve your diet. And with a lengthy shelf-life, you can stock up on canned edibles without much worry about costly food waste.
So get out your can opener and add these five tinned foods to your diet for a quick nutrition boost.
Top 5 Healthiest Canned Foods
1. Canned Oysters
Oysters are a delicacy that you can enjoy without the hassle and danger to your fingers of shucking them. Though often overlooked for other canned seafood, tinned oysters deliver a tidal wave of nutrition. Each can contains not only healthy amounts of protein to support muscle growth but also more than the daily need for the nutrients vitamin B12, copper and immune-boosting zinc. You also get a decent amount of selenium, a mineral that research suggests may help guys lower their risk of developing prostate cancer.
And here is some shocking nutritional news: Canned oysters are a richer source of iron than beef. Who knew? Iron helps make hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells that hauls oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body including the heart, brain and muscles. So coming up short in your diet can lead to poor brain functioning, fatigue and other health concerns.
Since some of the nutrients in oysters including vitamin C and B vitamins are water-soluble they may leach out into the water that the shellfish are canned with. So it might be a wise move to slurp up that liquid for an extra nutrition boost. (That is my theory, for what it’s worth.)
Eat more: These ready-to-eat oysters can be a nutritious addition to soups, pasta dishes, and salads. Or simply enjoy them straight from the can for a high-protein snack.
2. Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Time to turn up the flavorful heat on your cooking. If you’re not familiar with these, here’s a primer: Chipotles in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated and canned in a sweet and tangy purée of tomato, vinegar, and garlic. A canned food that packs wicked, smoky heat for little calorie cost. Bring on the table dares.
Eating these and other chili peppers regularly was associated with a reduction in the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer-related mortality, according to an analysis of four observational studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The health benefits of consuming chili peppers are attributed to the chemical compound capsaicin, with potential cardio-protective and anti-tumorigenic effects. Capsaicin, the plant chemical that gives peppers their fiery kick, may also have a beneficial impact on our microbiome .
Eat more: In the kitchen, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can do it all, and shake your taste buds out of a coma. They will vivify soups, a pot of chili, sauces, glazes, marinades, beans, guacamole, and then some. We’re talking top-level pantry stuff here. Purée the chilies with the sauce and mix into yogurt or sour cream for your new favorite taco, burger or grilled fish topping. The purée could be frozen in an ice cube tray and then you can stash the fiery cubes in a zip-top bag in the freezer for use when needed. And you should know that an opened can will keep for a few months in the fridge.
3. Canned Pumpkin
Thanksgiving shouldn’t be the only time you reach for the canned pumpkin in your pantry. Consider this pumpkin purée a reliable source of the plant-based compound beta-carotene. Our bodies can convert beta-carotene into vitamin A which is needed to maintain eye, immune and bone health. And a study in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people with higher levels of carotenoids including beta-carotene tested for a younger biological age as indicated by longer telomeres—DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that shorten as cells replicate and age (How’s that for a biology lesson?). And a 2023 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition discovered that when people had higher blood levels of carotenes like beta-carotene the less plaque build-up they had in their arteries which can reduce heart disease risk. Canned pumpkin is also a good source of vitamin K which is a nutrient important for supporting better bone health. Not to mention it adds natural sweetness to your diet making it easier to cut back on hazardous added sugars. But I will stop short of saying spooning up canned pumpkin will make you jacked.
Eat more: You can sneak canned pumpkin purée into a pot of chili or into the batter of pancakes and waffles for some extra sweetness. It’s also easy to stir some into yogurt or oatmeal, or blend into protein shakes. Pumpkin hummus is also delicious, I promise.
4. Canned Black Beans
These might be the healthiest fast food around. With a large range of essential vitamins and minerals including iron, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus, consider black, kidney and other canned beans almost akin to a multi-vitamin in a can. No wonder people who eat more legumes including canned beans generally have a higher overall diet quality, according to recent dietary research.
Canned beans are also a fiber powerhouse, with up to 15 grams in a cup serving. This might be a big reason why a 2021 Journal of Nutrition investigation found that daily canned bean consumption can help people with elevated cholesterol levels bring their numbers down for better heart health. This fiber can also improve blood sugar control and crush hunger. The bonus of black beans is that they are a source of anthocyanins, potent antioxidants that may help boost lifespan through disease prevention. These are the same plant chemicals you find in blueberries and blackberries.
As for those embarrassing and uncomfortable gassy after-effects, draining canned black beans in a colander and then rinsing them well will send a high proportion of the gas-producing compounds down the drain. This method also lowers the sodium levels.
Eat more: Use canned black beans in soups, chili, tacos, burritos, salads and DIY veggie burgers. They are a great addition to egg-based dishes and you can blend them into dips.
5. Canned Crushed Tomatoes
Here is proof that it’s a total misconception that for vegetables to be healthy, they must be fresh and live in your crisper.
Canned tomatoes, including the deeply tomato flavored crushed variety, are laced with the plant compound lycopene. This is a member of the carotenoid family that may help in the battle against pre-mature mental decline as we age. There is also some evidence that higher intakes of lycopene from foods like canned tomatoes could lower the risk of developing prostate cancer. Acting as a potent antioxidant, lycopene can help vanquish the free radicals in our bodies, which can damage DNA and initiate cancers, and worsen brain functioning.
And here is an interesting twist: The processing that goes into producing canned tomatoes can increase the bioavailability of lycopene. In other words, it makes the compound more accessible so we can better reap its health rewards. So, guys, don’t be so fresh obsessed. Vitamin C is another nutritional benefit of reaching for canned tomatoes. A nutrient linked to improved blood pressure numbers.
Perhaps most importantly, they’re full of delicious tomato flavor all year round. This is in contrast to out-of-season fresh options, which are frequently second-rate. Another win for Team Can.
Eat More: Using canned crushed tomatoes for pasta sauce is already a no-brainer, but there are plenty of other uses you might not have thought of. They are convenient to have on hand and make an easy addition to burritos, meat or lentil stews, Indian curries, and, yes, classic tomato soup. And don’t forget that you can blend crushed tomatoes with a canned chipotle pepper for a sauce that delivers a serious kick. Try poaching a fillet of fish in this jazzed-up red sauce and thank me later.
