Cooking with my grandmother is one of my favorite family traditions. She has perfected many recipes that have been passed down for generations, including her savory cooked beans. It’s a delicious dish, but the traditional recipe isn’t very healthy. So, when I cooked beans with my grandmother recently, I took the opportunity to give the dish a healthy revamp.
My grandmother has macular degeneration, a disease that causes a person’s central vision to become blurry, so she experiences food differently than most people. She graciously agreed to cook with me on video, and this gave me the idea for a true blind taste test! As we cooked together, I swapped out a few key ingredients for healthier versions and served the dish to my grandmother and my younger cousins. They all gave me their unfiltered opinions, and the results are better than you might think!
I knew this recipe would have to be delicious to earn my grandmother’s approval. Plus, my little cousins aren’t shy about sharing their food opinions, and I wanted them to enjoy this dish, too.
First, I swapped out the canned beans my grandmother usually purchases for a low-sodium version. Most Americans eat way too much salt, and this can lead to high blood pressure and extra stress on the kidneys. Though salt is necessary for life, nearly all of us are eating too much of it rather than too little.
I also added celery to the recipe, something my grandmother hasn’t used in the past. Celery not only provides a satisfying crunch, it is rich in fiber which aids the digestive process. In addition, celery contains anti-inflammatory compounds that can help people with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus (SLE), obesity, Type II diabetes, and hypertension.
One of the sneakiest swaps in this recipe is trading out the typical cooking oil my grandmother uses for heart-healthy avocado oil. Avocado oil is a very healthy fat, so if you are watching your cholesterol, this oil is an excellent option for you. Avocado oil is also one of the world’s most vitamin E-rich foods. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, meaning it counteracts a chemical process in the body that can cause cancer. This vitamin is also known to improve the health of your skin, eyes, and immune system.
There was one change I made that my grandmother knew about: Leaving processed pork out of the recipe. The traditional recipe includes ham, but my grandmother knows I choose not to eat meat. Foregoing processed meats is a great choice for your health, even if it’s a choice you cannot make all the time. The World Health Organization classifies processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means it is known to cause cancer. Even without the meat, the beans turned out savory and delicious!
You don’t have to give up your favorite recipes when you want to eat healthy. Simple changes like these help food taste great while providing meaningful nutritional benefits.
