A popular British dish could help protect your heart and lower cholesterol. According to an expert, beans on toast is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Writing for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), dietitian Dell Stanford explained why this cheap and easy meal could help reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disease. While most tinned banked means would be considered “ultra-processed” due to added sugars, salt and ingredients like thickeners or preservatives, they can “still be part of a healthy diet”.

Firstly, baked beans, which are usuallyharicot or cannellini beans in a tomato sauce, are high in fibre. This can help lower cholesterol levels and keep your gut healthy.

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Ms Stanford said: “Baked beans are low in fat and high in fibre. They have soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol levels, and insoluble fibre, which helps to keep your digestive system healthy.

“In fact, a half-can portion of baked beans (207g), which many of us might typically eat, provides nearly a third of the 30g of fibre you need a day.” They are also a healthy source of protein.

She continued: “Baked beans are also high in plant proteins and packed with nutrients such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. And the tomato sauce is rich in lycopene, a protective antioxidant linked with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

“Replacing some of the meat you eat with beans is a great way to eat less unhealthy saturated fat, manage your weight and reduce your risk of heart and circulatory diseases.”

It is important to be aware of the salt and sugar content in baked beans, though. “However, look out for the salt and sugar content of baked beans,” Ms Stanford said.

“A typical half can portion (207g) of baked beans contains about 1.3g salt. That’s 21 per cent of the maximum recommended amount of salt you should have a day (6g). A half can also contain about 9g sugar – that's 10 per cent of the maximum recommended amount of ‘total’ sugar you should have a day.

“Traffic light labels on food packaging show only total sugars. They do not tell you how much is naturally occurring (as in fruit or milk) and how much is ‘free’ or ‘added’ sugar (as in table sugar or syrup).

“In baked beans, most of the sugar is added, because beans themselves do not naturally contain much sugar. It's mainly from the tomato sauce.”

It is therefore worth opting for baked beans that have reduced sugar and salt where possible. To further boost the health properties of your beans on toast you should also use wholegrain bread rather than white bread, to increase the amount of fibre in the meal.

To make your meal even healthier, Ms Stanford advised you:

• Choose baked beans with reduced sugar (or no added sugar) and reduced salt


• Swap white bread for wholegrain


• Skip the butter: the beans add enough moisture, or you can use small amounts of a lower-fat spread made from unsaturated vegetable oils


• For an extra boost of goodness, add vegetables to your beans (e.g. roasted red peppers, onions, or mushrooms)

For more information, visit the BHF website here.