Paris 2024: A Plant-Based Revolution

As the world turns its attention to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, athletes focus on physical training and optimizing their nutrition to perform at their peak. This year, Paris is hosting the world’s greatest athletes and pioneering a plant-based revolution, with a remarkable 60% of all meals served to athletes and fans being vegan. The humble bean, a dietary staple for centuries, is one often-overlooked nutritional powerhouse that can give athletes a competitive edge. Packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and essential nutrients, beans offer many benefits for athletes striving for gold.

Nature’s Multi-Vitamin for Athletes

Beans are a versatile and nutrient-dense food that can support athletic performance in multiple ways. They provide sustained energy through complex carbohydrates, aid in muscle repair and growth with their high protein content, and offer essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium to support electrolyte balance. Additionally, the high fiber content in beans can help athletes maintain a healthy weight and promote digestive health. Studies have also shown that a diet rich in beans may reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, making them an excellent choice for long-term health and short-term performance gains.

Plant-Powered Olympians: A Growing Trend

Olympians and elite athletes increasingly recognize the value of incorporating beans into their diets. Some of the U.S.’s top professional athletes proudly embrace the plant-based diet. Elite athletes like Diana Taurasi and Kendrick Farris, competing in this year’s Olympics, credit their vegan diets for improved performance and faster recovery, proving that a plant-based diet isn’t just a choice – it’s a game-changer.

For example, Canadian boxer and 2022 middleweight world champion Tammara Thibeault follows a vegetarian diet. In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, Thibeault revealed that while she appreciates vegetarianism’s ecological benefits and dietary diversity, meeting her protein needs can be challenging, especially when traveling for competitions.

The Vegetarian Athlete’s Secret Weapon

This is where beans can play a crucial role. As a complete protein source that’s rich in essential amino acids, beans can help vegetarian athletes like Thibeault meet their protein requirements without compromising their dietary preferences. Beans offer a sustainable, plant-based solution for athletes looking to maintain peak performance while exploring the rich diversity of vegetarianism.

Here are some delicious and nutritious recipes to try for athletes looking to harness the power of beans in their diets:

Red Bean Power Bowl

A nutrient-packed meal with Red Kidney Beans. Mostly raw ingredients for quick assembly – ideal for athletes needing fast, nutritious meals.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Red Beans

An easy, protein-rich dish that can be prepared in advance for busy training days.

Instant Pot Lima Beans & Greens Soup

A warming, mineral-rich soup to support recovery and hydration.

White Bean Hummus

A protein-packed snack that’s great for pre-or post-workout fueling.

Red Bean & Goat Cheese Mediterranean Salad

A lighter option that still provides ample protein and nutrients for athletes watching their weight.

By incorporating these bean-based recipes into their meal plans, athletes can enjoy the nutritional benefits of beans while fueling their Olympic dreams. Whether you’re a competitive athlete or simply looking to improve your overall health and fitness, beans are a versatile and powerful addition to any diet.

Sources: Olympics.com (https://olympics.com/), Health University of Utah (https://healthcare.utah.edu/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/effect-vegetarian-diets-sports-performance-closer-look-koikc/) Vegancuts.com (https://vegancuts.com/blogs/1/vegan-athletes), bonappetit.com (https://www.bonappetit.com/story/olympians-who-eat-vegan)

Kid-Friendly Beef and Bean Sloppy Joe Sliders

Ready to fill hungry tummies, these sliders are full of flavor and easy to eat. Bonus: one skillet cooking makes for quick cleanup. Feel free to swap ground turkey for ground beef, if you prefer.

Kid-Friendly Vegan Meatballs with Crawfish-Shaped Pasta

These meatballs are packed with beans, seasonings, and healthy goodness. Make them ahead of time, (and freeze if you’d like), then simply reheat in pasta sauce, and serve over our fun Dagostino Crawfish Shaped Pasta. Delish.

Kid-Friendly Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli

Super easy to make and perfect for chilly nights, this stick-to-your-ribs staple includes great northern beans, red kidneys, and Dagostino Fleur de Lis Shaped Pasta. Just add a salad and your favorite crusty bread for a complete meal.

Three Bean Salad

A classic favorite that’s been enjoyed for generations, this Three Bean Salad features red kidney beans, garbanzos, great northern beans, fresh veggies, and a tangy, tasty red wine vinaigrette.

Kid-Friendly Sloppy Joe Dogs

Who doesn’t love a chili dog? We’ve taken the sloppy joe mixture from our Beef and Bean Sloppy Joe Sliders and used it to make a crazy good chili dog. You’re welcome! 🙂

Never mind moonshine – it’s potlikker that traditionally fueled the South, from the mountains of Appalachia to the tumbleweeds of Texas. Potlikker is the rich liquid left over in the pot after a long, slow simmering of greens (like collards, turnips or mustards) when seasoned with a bit of salty meat (like ham hock, smoked turkey wings or slab bacon). This leftover cooking liquid might seem like something to discard for those not in-the-know, but as it turns out, potlikker is divine, providing such a transcendent experience when soaked up by cornbread (or even sipped on its own) that you’ll quickly learn to savor it down to the last drop.

The original nutritious green drink?

Potlikker originated as a staple in the African American cuisine of the American South – a culinary tradition known worldwide as Soul Food. This nutrient-dense liquid was – and still is – used as a base for soups and other dishes. Simmering greens such as in this Potlikker and Blackeye Pea recipe for such a long time causes nutritive goodies like vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and a host of minerals to leach out into the cooking water, creating the kind of nurturing drink that should probably be bottled and marketed as a wellness elixir! And when the greens are simmered down with a few beans or field peas, it only adds to the flavor and the nutritive value.

The Great Potlikker and Cornpone Debate

But potlikker’s influence doesn’t just stop at the dinner table—oh, no. It’s played an outsized role in provoking strong feelings in Southern art, literature and politics over the years, creating plenty of interstate rivalries and public outcry over how best to eat the dish. Perhaps most notable is a 1931 squaring off between Atlanta Constitution editor Julian Harris and Louisiana Governor Huey Long. Harris crumbled his cornbread into the potlikker to eat with a spoon, while Long did the far less “fashionable” thing by dunking his handheld cornbread hunk into the juices. The entire South was thrown into a tizzy, but Long eventually got the last word on potlikker: In 1935, he included an explanation of all its merits as part of a long-winded filibuster on the U.S. Senate floor.

Bean Liquor vs. Potlikker

Similar to the debate over whether “real chili” contains beans or not, Southerners differ in their ideas of how to spell the word “potlikker” and what goes in it. While it’s well established that the broth from cooking beans is called “bean liquor” or “liquor” and that the word “potlikker” refers to the liquid from cooking greens, there are plenty of folks who throw field peas or beans in with their greens and still call the leftover liquid potlikker. Either way, home cooks and chefs alike are finding delicious new uses for potlikker these days, from cocktails (potlikker martini, anyone?), to potlikker vinaigrette for salads, to outside-the-box potlikker breakfast stews. And when beans and greens get together with plenty of potlikker? That’s the kind of second-and-third helping dish that’s warming down to the bones. In any case, don’t forget the cornbread!

Written by Sarah Baird, a writer and editor based in New Orleans. An award-winning former restaurant critic for the city’s alt-weekly and seasoned tippling enthusiast, her work appears regularly in print and online for Lucky Peach, Food52, AFAR, Pacific Standard, Saveur, The Atlantic, Eater, The Village Voice, PUNCH, The Guardian, GOOD, Liquor.com and beyond. 

Red beans and rice is an essential dish of Louisiana cuisine. Folks flock to New Orleans and stand in long lines for a taste of this fantastic vegetarian dish.

Wait, vegetarian?! Yes. Unfortunately, we often forget the famed dish, (and truly any bean dish), can be made meatless and delicious — when using the right spices and seasonings. In addition, the bean is an amazing source of protein, a great iron source, and when served with a grain (think rice), it’s a complete protein.

As a culinary dietitian hailing from Louisiana, I recommend red beans and rice as a healthy dish for all my weight loss clients due to its fiber and protein content (read more about the health benefits of dried beans).

Want to try other kinds of beans but don’t know how to season them? Or maybe you have leftover beans you’re not sure what to do with? How can you add a new spin to a classic bean dish, or re-purpose leftovers into a completely new dish?

No fear! I consulted with my dietitian friends from around the U.S. to find out their favorite ways to spice up beans and lentils. Get inspired with their tips, and hit the kitchen. You just might add their suggestions to your weekly menu rotation, right alongside red beans and rice.

Here are simple tips to spice up plain cooked beans from three incredible dietitians. Linda Bojman, RD, enjoys thyme with her beans, while Amber Pankonin, RD, states, “If I am in a rush, I add a can of diced tomatoes and chiles to cooked black beans. It is delicious!”

Christy Wilson, RD, says, “I love to add fresh lime juice, cumin, paprika, canned or fresh tomatoes, and pepper to black beans for a quick weeknight supper.”

Can’t get enough black beans? Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, offers this: “I love adding garlic or onion powder to black beans while they’re cooking. The powder packs in a lot of flavor, and then I mix the beans with onions and bell peppers sautéed in low-sodium vegetable broth.”

Are lentils more your style? “Lentils pair well with Indian spices such as cumin, turmeric, and mustard seeds,” claims Sharon Palmer, RD. She also loves red beans. “My family loves a hearty chili featuring red beans and chili powder, tomato sauce, a bit of brown sugar, and vinegar.”

Elizabeth Ann Shaw, MS, RDN, CLT, says, “My husband hands-down loves my red lentils with habaneros, tomatoes, and red onion. We enjoy spicy foods, so anytime I use hot peppers and infuse them into beans and lentils, we both are satisfied! Bonus – he’ll even forget the ground meat and top his nachos with an extra helping of lentils!”

Looking for more of a Colombian style dish? Ximena Jimenez, RD, gives this tip. “In Colombia, we prepare beans with a tomato and onion sauce, called guiso, similar to sofrito. We add onions, tomatoes, scallions, finely chopped aji dulces, chopped cilantro, salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic cloves, and Worcestershire sauce.’

For a Puerto Rican style dish, take the suggestion of Betsy Ramirez, RD. “We add Sazon and sofrito to our beans. You can easily find it in the Latin section of the grocery store.”

Christy Wilson gives us a final tip for using leftover pinto beans. “I simply mash leftover cooked pinto beans with a little milk and spread on tortillas. It’s amazing!”

Do you have a favorite tip? Tell us, how do you spice up or repurpose your beans, lentils or peas?

Our friend Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN, is a culinary dietitian and founder of Skinny Louisiana.  Be sure to friend her on Facebook at Skinny Louisiana. For questions, email Shelly at shelly at skinnylouisiana.com. She goes for the classic red beans and rice!

When you’re in the grocery store aisle, gazing at the shelves, you’ve probably wondered — does it really matter whether I choose dried beans or canned? And what’s the difference, anyhow?

Well, here’s the scoop — broken down by cost & yield, taste, convenience, and more — so you can make an informed decision.

Cost & Yield

When it comes to value, dried beans still come out on top.

A 15-oz can of beans typically costs $1.20–$1.50, depending on brand and retailer, and yields about 1½–1¾ cups of drained beans, according to the Bean Institute.

By comparison, a 1-lb bag of dried beans averages about $1.50–$1.75 nationally according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRED and yields 5–6 cups of cooked beans — roughly 10–12 servings (½ cup cooked = 1 serving, per the USDA Dietary Guidelines). That works out to roughly 15–25¢ per serving.

For premium, higher-quality brands like Camellia, which are stocked at major grocers, retail prices typically range from $2.20 to $2.80 per pound. Even at that premium, a pound of Camellia beans delivers about twice the yield per dollar compared to canned beans, along with the freshness, consistency, and flavor that make them a Southern kitchen staple.

Read more about how beans stretch your grocery budget in our Budget Meals with Beans: Affordable Comfort Food for Every Table post.

The Sodium Factor

Using dried beans lets you control the sodium. Beans are naturally sodium-free, but canned beans can contain added salt — for example, around 200 mg per ½-cup serving for canned pinto beans. Draining helps, and draining plus rinsing can remove up to about 40% of the sodium. Cooking dried beans from scratch lets you season to taste without added sodium, giving you full control over what’s in your pot. (The Bean Institute – Dry vs. Canned)

What about BPA?

Dried beans are BPA-free. You’ve probably heard or read about the controversial use of BPA in food containers. Most cans are lined with BPA-containing resin, and according to the Mayo Clinic, some research has shown that BPA can seep into food from containers that are made with it. Read more about their advice for reducing exposure to BPA, including cutting back on the use of canned foods. Using dried beans vs. canned lets you avoid the this issue altogether.

Taste

Cooked, dried beans just taste better. While there’s no scientific evidence to point to, it’s been written again and again that those who know their way around a kitchen prefer the taste, texture, and depth of flavor of homemade beans. In fact, canned beans can have a metallic taste, or they can be too salty or mushy. Cooking with dried beans lets you season them to to your taste and control how long you cook them — making sure they’re just as firm or as soft as you like.

Convenience

Dried beans are easier to cook than you think. At first glance, you might think that canned beans win in the convenience category. And if you’re in a pinch and haven’t planned ahead, canned beans can do the job. But if you want the health, price, and taste benefits of using dried beans, there are several ways to make them both easy and convenient. First, if you’re home but busy doing other things, cover them with water in a pot, add aromatics and seasonings, and put on a back burner to simmer for a couple of hours. They don’t need much attention! If you can’t be home to cook, consider throwing dried beans in a slow cooker with water, chopped veggies, and meats, and cook on low heat all day long. They’ll be soft and creamy just in time for dinner. There’s also the option of using a pressure cooker — which is a great way to cook dried beans in a hurry. And finally, the best way to wean yourself from the last-minute-canned-bean-habit is to cook dried beans in large batches, portion into small storage bags, and freeze. Then, when you need beans for a recipe, just grab them from the freezer instead of reaching for a can. Read more about cooking methods and storage here.

The post Dry Beans vs. Canned: What’s the Difference? first appeared on Camellia Brand.]]> https://static.camelliabrand.com/dry-beans-vs-canned-whats-the-difference/feed/ 0 https://static.camelliabrand.com/5-reasons-to-add-dried-beans-to-your-diet/ https://static.camelliabrand.com/5-reasons-to-add-dried-beans-to-your-diet/#respond Tue, 14 Jun 2016 16:17:05 +0000 http://www.camelliabrand.com/?p=29013 From traditional red beans and rice to white beans with shrimp to blackeye peas, beans embody the spirit of New read more ...

From traditional red beans and rice to white beans with shrimp to blackeye peas, beans embody the spirit of New Orleans. But dried beans, peas and lentils also have amazing health benefits that last long after that last delicious bite.

As a culinary dietitian, I recommend this remarkable, affordable food group to all my clients for the following five reasons:

1. Beans act as a body’s best friend

Just as you’re personally supported by friends and family, beans support your body by preventing many disorders and diseases. In other words, beans protect you from aging — and who doesn’t want that?

As a result, many medical associations encourage consumption of beans due to their high amounts of fiber, iron, protein and various nutrients that work to protect you from free radicals or aging. How do beans prevent aging? Just as an uneaten apple slice browns, free radicals allow your body to ‘oxidize’ or brown, similar to the apple. Beans help prevent your body from that kind of ‘browning’.

Organizations including the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society encourage bean consumption, and in 2016, the United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (pulses include dry peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas). So eat up.

2. Beans are cancer fighters

Many of us know a family member, friend or loved one who has been diagnosed with cancer. In its latest startling findings, the National Cancer Institute estimates that in 2016, over 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. Fight cancer by adding dried beans, peas and lentils to your diet.

How is the bean such a cancer fighter? Beans contain both high amounts of fiber and folate.  Fiber allows the passage of waste through the gut and colon, while folate encourages healthy cell division. In particular, black beans contain large levels of anthocyanins giving the bean its super antioxidant power. The Adventist Health Study revealed those consuming legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.) more than twice a week were 47% less likely to develop colon cancer than those who consumed legumes only once a week.

3. Beans help stabilize blood sugar levels

The American Diabetes Association reported in 2012 that 9.3% of the population was diabetic. As a dietitian, I always recommend beans to my clients for blood sugar control.

Remember how the fiber in beans is an amazing cancer fighter? That fiber also helps with slowing down the absorption of glucose in your gut, thus helping to manage type 2 diabetes. This keeps both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia at bay.

4. Beans help lower cholesterol

The American Heart Association reports 43% of Americans have a cholesterol reading over 200 and recommend a high-fiber diet to help with lowering cholesterol.

Why? Soluble fiber helps block cholesterol in the gut from going into the bloodstream. The big blocker? Legumes! A study following 16,000 men showed that higher legume consumption was associated with an 82% reduction of coronary heart disease.

5. Beans promote weight loss

How can adding beans to your diet lead to weight loss? The common denominator is fiber. In addition to its cancer-fighting, blood sugar-controlling, cholesterol-lowering properties, fiber keeps you fuller longer — allowing you to eat less. Remember, fiber takes a longer time to digest, thus keeping you full and helping prevent overeating. The magic fiber gram number? We shoot for our clients to get 35 grams of fiber or more per day.

 

 

Our friend Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN is a culinary dietitian and founder of Skinny Louisiana. She practices in Shreveport, LA and can be reached at shelly@skinnylouisiana.com.

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