Sodium Amounts

[lmr1101]

Hi Everyone,
My dd just turned 1 and she's pretty picky about what she eats. One day we opened a can of black beans and she LOVED them.
We've been giving her black beans about twice a day almost every day since she refuses to eat any other protien source except dairy.
We've probably been doing this for the past month until yesterday. My husband noticed the sodium content on the can -- WOW! I guess I just figured how can beans be bad for her?
Should I be concerned? The sodium was over 400mg per adult serving.
Thanks for the advice.

[sariana]

Black beans are really healthful. Two things I do: I look for the lower sodium version of S & W (there may be other low-sodium brands, but that's the one my store carries), and I rinse the beans well with cold water. Washing away the "juices" in the can also washes away a lot of the sodium and other added stuff.

If I weren't so lazy, I would buy dried beans and cook them myself.

BTW, my DD likes black beans and also likes red kidney beans. Have you tried those, for some variety?

[DrSally]

I think Whole Foods makes a no added salt kind. I agree with the rinsing.

[jillc]

Hi,

I totally agree that the sodium content in canned beans is shocking! I stock up when I find "No Salt Added" cans of beans - found some at Fresh & Easy yesterday. The sodium content is 10mg/serving vs. the 440mg./serving in the regular can of beans.

In a pinch, I rinse regular canned beans before serving them, like a previous poster.

My first choice is to buy dried beans and prepare them myself. I just started this in the last couple years, and it is not too time-consuming (though I do keep a couple cans of beans in the pantry for last-minute lunches, etc.). Maybe give the dried beans a try? I've done canellini, black, pinto, and garbanzo. Make sure you soak them overnight (or > 8hours) before cooking. I tried the "quick" short soak instructions on the back of a bag of dried beans, and they were terrible.

[lmr1101]

Thanks for the advice. I'll search for the lower sodium beans. I may try to swing by Whole Foods this weekend.
I rinsed the beans a few times because I hated how messy my dd gets when she eats and they seemed to spoil very quickly so I stopped rinsing. Maybe I'll give that another shot with the few cans I have now. (maybe only rinse what I'm about to use and not the entire can at once)
I've tried other beans and most seem to have similar amounts of sodium, plus so far she'll only eat the black beans.
Looks like I'll be hunting for the low sodium versions this weekend. Thanks again.