What age can you give baked beans and are they healthy?

[chloemegjess]

Hello. Just wondered what age babies can eat baked beans, and how heathy they are? I think you can get low sugar and salt ones now? If they are ok, would you always byt heinz or are cheap ones ok? Do cheap ones contain more salt/sugar?

[whomovedmychocolate]

Six months and the cheap ones are fine but avoid the ones with artificial sweetners in - not safe for anyone but esp. not little ones. Only thing to keep an eye on is salt content but they don't eat that many so it's fine.

Beans are nutritionally excellent!

[foxythesnowfox]

DD's been on them since 6 months I think. I buy Heinz, but only because in my book Beans meanz heinz I get the low sugar/salt/no artifical sweetners one.

Jacket potato, beans and cheese when we are out and about.

[FrannyandZooey]

do you fancy making your own? I have salt and sugar free recipe

they're healthy in that they contain a lot of fibre, and protein, but nearly all have too much salt for babies (I wouldn't worry much about the sugar - better that than sweeteners)

[thegrowlygus]

Count as one of five a day too

[foxythesnowfox]

I'd like that receipe please!

[breadandroses]

Franny can you use any kind of bean?

[Washersaurus]

I always worry about the salt - they do contain a fair bit. I tend to buy the reduced salt ones when I can (baked beans are on of my emergency store cupboard essentials...along with a jar of pesto)

[chloemegjess]

Would like to see the reciepe - depends how complecated it is!

Thank you for all your replies!

[FrannyandZooey]

Oh it is easy - it just involves having your oven on for hours so a good idea to do some baking or a casserole at the same time!

Home Baked Beans

8 oz dried haricot beans
1 lb tomatoes, skinned and deseeded (I use tinned tomatoes and it is ok, but maybe runnier)
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp molasses
2 tsp mustard powder
3/4 pint hot stock

Soak beans overnight in a large bowl covered with cold water. Drain well, put in saucepan and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Bring to the boil. Skim surface, cover pan and cook at rolling boil for 30 mins. Drain well. Preheat oven to GM 2 (sorry forgotten what that converts to). Put beans in a large casserole dish and stir in tomatoes. Mix together tomato puree, molasses, mustard and stock. Pour over beans and mix well. Cover casserole and cook for 2.5 hours (I find takes longer for them to get really tender but could be my oven). Stir gently and cook for another 30 mins or until sauce has thickened. I use to freeze them in small portions for ds as I think the shop bought ones are really salty and usually have sugar or sweeteners in them. These have a less artificial taste so you may prefer them.

[Washersaurus]

Most importantly though....can you freeze it OK?

[Washersaurus]

Ahhh I should have read that properly

I may just give it a try

[FrannyandZooey]

yes, it makes a huge amount and you wouldn't want to faff around baking a smaller bowl
it freezes fine IMO

[foxythesnowfox]

Have you posted this in the MN recipe section? You should!

[FrannyandZooey]

I have posted it before - I forgot about the recipe section
tbh I feel a fraud as I never cook it any more - just when ds was little
we have tinned ones now and love em

[Washersaurus]

Oooh I love bulk cooking and freezing [saddo]. Thanks F&Z!

[Tinkjon]

Have you ever tried these with tinned beans, FrannyandZooey? I can never be bothered with the faff of soaking and cooking dried beans [lazy emoticon]

[FrannyandZooey]

No I know what you mean - that's why I don't make it any more, probably. I generally find tinned beans are ok for things like casseroles etc, but for things like hummus and so on I think tinned pulses can be quite revolting, so haven't ever tried it. I am not sure how you would get the tomato sauce to reduce to the lovely thick consistency with tinned beans, either - they'd be mushy by the time the sauce was done, I think. Maybe you could cook the sauce separately?

[Tinkjon]

That's a good idea... sounds like a job for the slow-cooker! I must admit, I've never used dried beans ever - do they have the skins on like some of the tinned pulses? Chick peas are the worst - the silvery skins on those make me heave and I have to pick them off individually

Also, sorry, didn't actually answer the OP's question! Heinz are the only readily-available brand I've found with nothing nasty except sugar (if you consider that nasty). I haven't given them to DS yet (8.5mo) yet because he's not having sugar at the moment, but that's just a personal choice - I wouldn't have any qualms about giving them to him otherwise and would agree that they're fine from 6mo.

[stopscreaming]

Here is my recipe

1 tin harricot beans in water
1 tin toms
1 onion
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp brown sugar

Fry onion with mustard powder and sugar for about 5 mins. add toms, boil for few mins, add beans and heat through. You can add chilli and corriander etc as well if you (and dcs)like.

Obviously it does have sugar in, but not loads and there is no added salt.

[vesela]

We can't get the low salt Heinz over here, just the ordinary ones. Do you think they're also too high-salt for a 14-month-old? It would be quite useful, since I like them too.

Having said that, I keep meaning to look up a recipe for homemade ones, so thanks.

[chloemegjess]

Has anybody made home made beans in the slow cooker? Probably use less energy? If so, how long did you do it for? I love using the slow cooker and I am more likely to make it!

Would be good to make a batch and freeze in small portions. DH doesnt like beans so a tin is always too big and I dont like to have them the next day as only like them once in a while.

Anybody know how long they will keep in the freezer?

Wont do them for a month yet anyway as DD is only 5 months

[Tinkjon]

I use the slow cooker a lot for lentils and bean dishes, but never made the bean recipe here in one. I think it would be really good cooked in there. My slow cooker is too fast, I reckon, but lentil casseroley type meals are cooked in about 5 hours in mine. I'd probably be happy about them being in the freezer for a good few months...

What about the little tins, btw?

[treborsllim]

1 full tablespoon of Tesco value baked beans weighs 20g. An adult would have to eat 50 of these tablespoons to get the full dose of salt by Recommended Daily Amount, So it would be a big mistake to consider beans off limits for your 6 month old. There is far too much hysteria in the UK and the USA over salt in foods. This hysteria does not exist in other parts of the world where people are no more or no less healthy.

An adult would have to eat 100 or more tablespoons of beans to go over the dietary limits for sugars. Now I like beans but I don;t think I could eat that many and neither could a 6 month old eat even 10 times less.

Babies have high metabolic rates and it is good to give them calorie and nutrient rich food. It must also have taste and enjoyment. Your house is not a health farm and your baby should not be on a diet. So use butter when you cook. Use full fat milk when you mash his potatoes..Use cheese on shepherd's pies and just don't don't don't be afraid to give your baby some beans.

The kidneys of 6 month babies are much more effective than infants 0-8 weeks but marginally less effective than for 12 moth old. This is why you should go easy on the salt when preparing his food. Don't add any at all....but a bit of processed salt added food here and there in a healthy context should be part of the joy of food for your baby.

For example:
Lunch: for my 6 month old tomorrow will be: Match-box sized slab of baked trout taken from my serving, 1 tablespoon spoon of basmati, 1 tablespoon of beans. My six month old is still on the breast so I would not expect her to finish all that. She will eat it with us when we eat our lunch.