beans from a can?

[Teddy'sMom]

I just started feeding my 8 1/2 month old beans and he loves them....but now I am having second thoughts. Canned beans have a lot of salt. Is this ok?

Should I buy dried beans and soak instead? Any tips on doing this? Whenever I do it they never get as nice and soft as canned beans.

[nukuspot]

Oh! So strange, I just logged on to as the EXACT SAME question! I haven't started giving dd beans yet but will soon. When I make hummus I usually use canned chickpeas, and I wasn't sure if that was OK. Also the same goes for kidney and black beans. I use the Eden organic which don't have salt, they do use kombu (a type of salty seaweed) though, so there is still sodium. I also am not totally sure how to cook dry beans...

[Michigan Mama]

I married a Mexican and here is how he and his mom do their beans.

No soaking.

I sort and rinse a lb of beans, put them in a big pot, and put about 2-3 times the amount of water to cover them. We also usually add 2-3 cloves of garlic and a small onion, chopped. Salt. I don't measure, I just toss, but maybe 2 t. (you can add more after you taste them later).

Boil for a long long time. 3-5 hours. Check them periodically until they have a smooth creamy texture. (both to taste and when you smoosh one between your fingers). You may have to add water occasionally. Beans do not taste good burnt, so monitor them. When you are done, you want at least an inch of liquid still covering your beans, so it's best not to really let the water get lower than that. It's a little time consuming, but very easy.

That way you can control what your little one is getting! I did them this way for my ds1 until I learned he is allergic to beans (and onions!).

Enjoy!

[elmh23]

We used canned and made sure to wash them well.

[Teddy'sMom]

Thanks Michigan Mama! Sounds like they still have salt, but I guess salt isn't too bad in moderation. I only knew to soak beans...I am going to try the boiling. Plus, this must be much cheaper than buying canned beans.

elmh23- Yes, I figure washing them well gets rid of most of the salt.

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 1/3/11 at 12:19pm

[Summersquash]

I'm another one that washes my canned beans really well. There are also low sodium varieties of beans available and I buy those whenever I can find them.

DD loves loves loves beans.

[Erinz]

I try to avoid canned food in general--
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola

They really are so easy to make. I soak mine overnight first to remove the sprout inhibitor called phytic acid to make nutrients more available (by a LOT) and to shorten the cooking time which also aids in retaining more of the nutritive value (and saves on fuel). Google "why soak beans" and you'll find a wealth of info on the benefits.

When my older son was younger he LOVED home made beans with sage. Now I'm going to be hungry for them. Off to soak

[Carhootel]

Well I don't know about giving lo's canned vs. dry beans because my ds has no interest in solids yet BUT I can tell you how I cook my dryed beans to come out like canned beans do

2 methods - slow and fast

slow - rinse beans, soak overnight in lots of water, then bring to a boil and cook for 1 1/2 hours or so or until desired consistency. I test by pulling a few out, letting them cool on the spoon and then either putting them in my mouth and making sure they will smoosh with just my tongue on the roof of my mouth or I push them gently with the back of the spoon to make sure they are the consistency I want.

fast - rinse beans and put lots of water on top, boil for 30 minutes. turn off the heat and leave the beans to soak for an hour. Bring back to a boil and cook 1 1/2 hour or so and test the same as above.

both methods have worked very well for me. I usually take a big mug full out at the end and throw it in the blender and then mix it back in so it's not too dry or watery but more black bean soup consistency

[Penny4Them]

We dont eat too many canned foods due to bpa concerns. Making your own beans is MUCH easier than I thought and MUCH tastier. I do garbanzos too and add 1/2 tsp baking soda per pound as they soak as this supposed to make them more digestable and less gassy. I then freeze in portions with a little liquid so I can grab a bag and use.

HTH

[LDSmomma]

Originally Posted by Erinz

I try to avoid canned food in general--
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola

They really are so easy to make. I soak mine overnight first to remove the sprout inhibitor called phytic acid to make nutrients more available (by a LOT) and to shorten the cooking time which also aids in retaining more of the nutritive value (and saves on fuel). Google "why soak beans" and you'll find a wealth of info on the benefits.

When my older son was younger he LOVED home made beans with sage. Now I'm going to be hungry for them. Off to soak

I'm with ya, I soak my beans, though I usually add whey or vinegar or something, as I hear that helps remove the phytic acid.

Beware, though, that sage is known to reduce milk supply. It has been used by centuries by women trying to dry their supply.

[acupuncturemomma]

nak

eden brand does not use bpa in their can linings, and their beans are seasoned with a bit of kombu rather than salt

[whozyourdoula]

We've always fed our babies whatever we eat. Not a lot of canned stuff. I am not a bean soaker. I normally stick them in the crock pot with some seasoning and let um' ride.

[whozyourdoula]

Beware, though, that sage is known to reduce milk supply. It has been used by centuries by women trying to dry their supply.[/QUOTE]

thanks for adding that tidbit about the sage. That is what I recommend for mothers who are weaning. They normally drink it as a tea or eat a pan of dressing loaded with it. It seems to work like a charm.

[Auraji]

I havent thought about giving beans to my 7month old daughter, but we love them so much. Do you just give them whole or mash them? For some reason I always thought they were considered a choke hazard.

[nukuspot]

I was just going to post this same thing! I was so happy to hear that about Eden. We don't use too much canned food either cause of BPA concerns, but Eden and Native Forest (coconut milk) both are supposed to be BPA-free.

Originally Posted by acupuncturemomma

nak

eden brand does not use bpa in their can linings, and their beans are seasoned with a bit of kombu rather than salt

[KathinJapan]

I have read you can soak canned beans in water to reduce the salt. Change the water at least once.
Kathryn

[millifiori]

I'm surprised no one has talked about pressure cooking beans! We love our pressure cooker and you can get delicious beans in about 15 minutes, start to finish

[wombatclay]

Crock pots are an easy way to make beans without having to pay attention or have a pot of boiling water on the stove.

We follow a "baby led" feeding style so our kiddos basically eat whatever we're having as a family... I tend to avoid adding salt (I use a lot of herbs for seasoning) but I don't worry too much about salt/sodium. If I was using canned beans with added salt I'd probably wash them off a bit and then avoid adding any other salt to the recipe.

Both dd1 and dd2 really like hummus... but dd1 liked it with lemon and dd2 liked it with garlic. I'm curious to see how ds will feel about it!

[Auraji]

This is embarassing me being Dominican and how much beans with eat, but how do you make beans in a crockpot?

Do you put them in with water and spices? For how long do you cook them?