Healthy Canned Foods You Should Keep At Your Desk

Sometimes life can be a little hectic. Between kids, pets, spouses and traffic, among other commitments, it can be difficult to prepare nutritious meals every day. One solution is to stock up on healthy canned food and keep them close at hand, for example, in your desk drawer! 

Not only are beans a versatile ingredient for soups and chillis, but they are also awesome to eat by themselves and are super healthy. For example, half a cup of black beans (125g) contains eight grams of fibre and seven grams of protein. Protein contributes to weight loss by increasing energy expenditure, while fibre leaves you fuller longer, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary snacking. One thing you should know is that canned beans often contain salt, so if you can, place them in a colander and wash them under some water before you chow down.

Artichoke is another high-fibre vegetable to add to your diet, with half a cup of the canned variety offering 4 grams of fibre and just 35 calories. Like beans, we recommend running canned artichoke hearts under running water before consuming them to wash off any excess salt.

Containing a potent combination of fibre and protein, lentils are another great canned food for blokes on a weight loss journey to keep both at home and in the office. Half a cup of canned lentils contains eight grams of protein and seven grams of fibre, and if you don’t fancy eating them by themselves, they go great in a salad. We apologise for sounding like a broken record but remember to give this a quick rinse and drain before eating – they can be quite sodium-heavy before being rinsed.

We’re going hard on the legumes and pulses here, but it’s basically because they’re generally pretty good for you and chickpeas are no exception. Like many members of the legume family, chickpeas are high in fibre and protein, while they also contain healthy fats and have a low glycemic index. If you’re looking for something quick and easy to snack on during the workday, we advise stocking up on Edgell’s snack time range. When it comes to fibre and protein, these 70g servings of flavoured chickpeas punch above their weight. That said, they have a moderate amount of sodium, so don’t overindulge. 

While not packed with protein, canned pumpkin is a viable option for people who want something low in calories to snack on during the day. It contains vitamin A, which is good for eye health and is a pretty versatile cooking ingredient, too. One thing we’ll say about canned pumpkin is that it appears to be pretty rare in Australia, though, with most local businesses importing it from the USA, so it may be a little pricey relative to the other options.