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July 9, 2021
Yet, the majority of adults only get half of that. July is National Baked Beans Month. Baked beans provide a great way to boost fiber intake. If you replace one meat-based meal each day with beans, you’ll get plenty of fiber. Why is fiber so important for good senior nutrition?
While the human body is good at processing carbohydrates into sugar, fiber is one that the body struggles with. It can’t break down fiber, so it travels out of the body as waste.
You have two kinds of fiber. Insoluble doesn’t dissolve in water. It traps water, which helps prevent constipation and promotes colon health. Soluble fiber does dissolve. It helps keep blood sugars from spiking, lowers cholesterol levels, and makes you feel fuller longer.
Baked beans may seem overwhelming to make from scratch, but it’s easier than you might think. Soak a pound of dried beans in a gallon of water and a teaspoon of baking soda overnight. Navy beans or other small white beans are perfect. Drain and rinse them the following day. Move them to a slow cooker.
In a pan, saute six slices of bacon that you’ve cut up and chopped onion. Remove once the bacon is crispy. Stir that into the beans. Stir in one cup of maple syrup, a half cup of molasses, a teaspoon of salt, four teaspoons of mustard powder. Finally, add a cup of ketchup, a cup of apple cider, and a cup of water.
Mix that until thoroughly combined. Cook on low for eight hours. Stir every few hours.
Cooking with dried beans isn’t tricky. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll find it’s less expensive and easy to cook dried beans in a slow cooker. You can experiment from here.
Make Chuckwagon beans using dried beans, celery, onions, cubed beef, your favorite chili spice blend, and canned tomatoes. Turn navy beans into curried beans using a curry spice blend, coconut milk, orange juice, lime zest, and lime juice.
You can also turn beans into meat substitutes. Use lentils in place of ground beef in your favorite sloppy joe recipe. All of these recipes and ideas boost your parents’ fiber intake for better health.
Support your mom and dad’s nutrition in other ways, too. If they have a hard time cooking meals, hire a caregiver from a senior care agency to help with good senior nutrition. Caregivers can help your parents plan a menu that incorporates filling, nutritious meals like baked beans every few days. Call a senior care agency to learn more.