10 Canned Foods That Are Surprisingly Good for You

“There is a notion that processed fruits and vegetables have a lower nutritional value than fresh produce. Those original notions seem to be false, as cooked sweet corn retains its antioxidant activity, despite the loss of vitamin C”

— Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., food scientist, Cornell University

The truth is, canned food keeps the majority of its nutrients. I’m guilty of assuming canned food has been either heated past the point of being healthy, or just plain…old. Or that the lowest rung on the quality ladder is what’s chosen for canning. And a lot of that isn’t true. In fact, when it comes to canned vegetables, they are picked at their peak ripeness and sealed quickly. Which actually locks in their nutrients. While fresh veggies can lose some of their nutrients during the weeklong shipping process. 

Vitamin C is usually the one thing that gets lost (due to the heat.) But that’s more of a tradeoff. You lose the Vitamin C, while the other compounds become far more available to your system. One thing to keep an eye out for are added sodium and sugar. But both those problems are easily solved by reading the labels (we’ll get into that a bit more later.)

“Canned tomatoes provide high levels of the antioxidant lycopene, which helps protect against various types of cancer, including skin and prostate, and also helps prevent high blood pressure”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

Canned tomatoes may be the best food to have in a can. And the reason is lycopenes. Those are the goodies that Frances just mentioned above. But the reason canned tomatoes are potentially better for you than fresh isn’t that canned tomatoes have more lycopenes. It’s because the canning process (which uses heat and oil) makes the lycopenes more absorbable for you. Which is also why cooking tomatoes in a bit of oil actually makes them healthier. Those Italian Nonnas really knew what they were doing, right?

And one thing to note, this is true for all types of canned tomatoes. Canned, peeled, diced crushed…they all work. And tomato paste actually has the most concentrated amounts of lycopenes.

“Omega-3s have been proven to lower blood triglycerides, decrease blood pressure, and prevent platelet aggregation (stickiness of platelets)”

— Julia Zumpano, RD, Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition

“They are an oily fish, which are (often) canned in oil, which means they contain even more fat, but the fat in the sardines themselves (has) proven benefits”

— Julia Zumpano, RD, Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition

“At 200 calories (or less) per serving, sardines are a low-calorie protein source”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

OK, I’m not going to lie, a lot of people find tinned sardines off putting. And maybe off-putting is an understatement. People sometimes hate tinned sardines. And I get it. They are fishy. They are oily. And they are pretty powerful when it comes to nearly everything about them. But! They are an acquired taste. And you don’t have to scarf down a whole one. You would be surprised how great a sardine sandwich can be. If you really hate them, just put a little sliced red onion, some smoked paprika and a couple dashes of red wine vinegar (or a healthy squeeze of lemon juice) and you will become a convert. It’s worth trying because they are so good for you. And take it from me. I am someone who has bravely eaten tinned sardines in an office. (I may not recommend that again.)

“All of them provide health benefits, but look for sardines packed in extra virgin olive oil or a combination of EVOO and other natural ingredients, like preserved lemon”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

“Wild fish tend to have less fat and better flavor, wider variety of nutrients”

— Julia Zumpano, RD, Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition

“I love using canned pumpkin to make breads, pancakes, muffins, overnight oats and more”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

Most people think of canned pumpkin as only something they should eat in November. And most people are wrong. Canned pumpkin has an insane amount of Vitamin A. Just a half of a cup will give you over 100% of your daily Vitamin A target. And let’s be honest, it is delicious! Who doesn’t love pumpkin pie. And while you need to make sure you don’t buy the pumpkin pie filling (that has a ton of sugar and other stuff), canned pumpkin is great in a ton of recipes. Especially oatmeal. It gives it a nice sweet heft to it. And one thing to note, canned pumpkin is more concentrated than any of the pumpkin puree you make at home. So your home version won’t have as much vitamin A.

“I’m a big fan of canned beans: black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, white beans”

— Amy Reed, MS, RD, CSP, spokesperson, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

I have a confession to make. I am a bean freak. I actually am a member of a Bean of the Quarter club where I get sent six pounds of heirloom beans four times a year. And I’m being honest when I say getting those four shipments rank as some of the most exciting days of the year. It’s always a fun surprise. So I do make a lot of dried beans. But I also know that there isn’t always time to spend 2-3 hours cooking a pound of beans from scratch. That’s where canned comes in. Every pantry should be stocked with canned beans.

A few very important things to note on canned beans:
– Run them under some water for 20 seconds and you will remove nearly half of their sodium. This is a fantastic trick everyone should know.
– Nutritionally, canned beans have nearly the same amount of fiber that home cooked beans have (I will argue that home cooked beans do taste waaaay better. And the bean liquor from your batch of beans is liquid gold that will transform something like a spaghetti sauce into something magical.)

“Beans are excellent for helping you feel full for fewer calories”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

“Ferulic acid, which is good for you, is found mainly in its bound form. Cook the sweet corn and the amount of ferulic acid increases a lot. When you cook it, you release it, and what you are losing in vitamin C, you are gaining in ferulic acid and total antioxidant activity.”

— Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., food scientist, Cornell University

“It’s not a free acid. It’s bound to the cell wall and in the corn’s insoluble fibers. We found that ferulic acid was substantially increased after the sweet corn was cooked at high temperatures and by cooking it at the same temperature over a longer time.”

— Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., food scientist, Cornell University

When it comes to corn, there is a bit of a swap, as we mentioned. While canned corn has less vitamin C, you actually get more access (and absorption) of ferulic acid. The high heat process of canning helps free more ferulic acid than you might while cooking it at home. It’s more about how canning unlocks a nutrient in the case of corn.

“Just like fresh salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, canned salmon is also a great source, and very affordable”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

“Numerous studies have found that omega-3s help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

Canned salmon is a great addition to any salad. You get a huge healthy protein boost, as well as calcium from the bones. And it’s so simple. Pop the top, dump it into your salad bowl and voila. You’re on your way. Salmon is great because it doesn’t have a lot of mercury. But make sure you are going for the “no salt added” option. While smoked salmon is deeeelicious, it does have a lot of sodium. So make that a special occasion if you have issues with sodium.

“Look for varieties of smaller tuna, which have lower mercury levels. These include skipjack and yellowfin tuna, and may be packaged as ‘chunk light’ or ‘light’”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN

Ahh, the classic. We have all had, at some point, canned tuna. Whether it’s in a tuna salad, or a casserole…whatever. You know it. But one important thing that you may not know is the difference between “Light” and “White” tuna. Light is from smaller species like skipjack and yellowfin. And smaller fish have less mercury (which is why sardines are so great.) White, on the other hand is made from bigger fish like albacore and can have up to 3 times the amount of mercury that light tuna has. If you eat a lot of it, go for the light when you can.

“It’s smart to vary your seafood sources instead of eating the same type each week”

— Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN