Beans Might Be the Best Value in the Store

Cheap, filling, and quietly one of the healthiest foods around.

Beans rarely get top billing, but if you designed a near-perfect everyday food, you'd land somewhere close.

A nutrition bargain

Beans and lentils deliver plant protein, fiber, iron, and slow-release carbs for pennies a serving. That fiber-and-protein combo keeps you full and steadies blood sugar. Populations that eat beans regularly tend to live longer — they're a staple in most of the world's "longevity" diets.

Easy on the planet and the wallet

Dried or canned, beans are among the cheapest protein sources going, and far lighter on the environment than meat. Canned is perfectly nutritious — just rinse to cut the sodium.

The move

Work beans into a few meals a week — tossed in soups, salads, tacos, or blended into dips. If they bother your stomach at first, start small and build up; your gut adjusts as it gets used to the fiber.

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