When the weather turns colder, most of us would like to curl up in a cozy spot and dive into a huge plate of comfort food. But with these sometimes-unhealthy indulgences always comes a bit of regret. If you find yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t have eaten that!”, especially during the holiday season, you’re probably not alone.
Fortunately, you can still indulge your cravings for comfort food without sacrificing your health, your blood sugar, or your waistline. Though you may not immediately think of beans as the perfect holiday food, we’re pretty sure that we can convince you if you’re willing to keep an open mind!
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Every time your friends or family members open a jar of Randall Beans and create a mouthwatering recipe—our cookbooks are full of them—they’ll think of you! Bonus points if you enjoy the finished recipe together at the family dinner table.
Here’s why Randall Beans should become a healthy new holiday tradition for your family.
1. Beans are excellent for brain health.
The holidays are a time for family members to come together to celebrate the joy of being with each other. For older family members in particular, holidays have special meaning, because they can see the family they’ve created and be thankful for every blessing.
However, along with the peace and reflection accompanying the golden years, many people may also have to deal with more unpleasant aspects of aging. Experiencing cognitive decline is a worry among older people. Cognitive decline is also a condition that many may believe is inevitable.
Recent research indicates that decline might not be inevitable after all. Diets such as the MIND Diet—which stands for Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay—have shown promise in possibly helping to slow the development of dementia by up to 53 percent. Beans are a heavy hitter in the MIND diet because of their high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, B vitamins, and folate, which may help sharpen the mind and improve cognitive function.
All this is to say that you can serve up a hefty helping of any Randall Beans product to each family member this holiday season and know that you’re contributing to helping keep them healthy, happy, and mentally sharp so you can spend many more wonderful holidays together in the future.
2. Beans are a low-glycemic food that the whole family can enjoy.
Diabetes or pre-diabetes is becoming a more common problem among Americans. It’s important to support the health of your family members with good food choices. This is another area where Randall Beans products shine. In addition to their benefits for brain health, beans are great for the rest of your body, too. They can have positive effects on blood sugar because of their high protein and fiber content, which both slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
Incorporating beans into your holiday meals ensures that everyone in your family has a healthy, filling option that they can eat guilt-free. Even better, you won’t have to worry about preparing vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options either, since beans fall into all of these categories.
3. Beans are so versatile!
If traditional baked beans are all that comes to mind when you brainstorm ways to incorporate Randall Beans into your holiday meal planning, perhaps you could use a dose of inspiration from our recipe collection. While we love baked beans—a classic for a reason!—we think you’ll be surprised at how many delicious new menu items you can devise with a dash of creativity and a jar or two of Randall Beans.
For instance, did you know you can make all the following with Randall Beans as your primary ingredient?
• Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting
• Protein-packed breakfast toast
• Chocolate and peanut butter smoothies
• Moist, delicious breakfast bars
• Hearty Middle Eastern shakshuka
• The perfect meatless enchiladas
If you have enough beans, you can create almost anything!
4. Your family Christmas dinner doesn’t have to break the bank.
Many people are watching their budgets these days. Especially around Christmas time, when the pressure to find the perfect gift is on and that Christmas bonus check may or may not be coming, the financial stress of providing a delicious feast for extended family members can be significant.
Beans have been considered an economical staple food for decades—centuries or millennia, even—that allow families to provide delicious and healthy food on the table that keeps everyone full and happy even when money is tight.
A little creativity is all you need! No one has to know that your appetizers, dessert, and even breakfast the next morning were all made with one of the least expensive ingredients on the planet.
5. Eating more beans is a fantastic way to kick off your health resolutions for the new year!
Since the holidays are usually all about indulgence, most people can’t bear to think about beginning their New Year’s resolutions until the clock officially strikes midnight on January 1. But beans can be used to produce meals that are both healthy and tasty. When you can have your bean-based cake and eat it guilt-free, there’s no reason to wait for the new year to begin your journey toward eating well.
When you serve healthy Randall Beans dishes to your family during the holiday season, you show them firsthand how tasty eating healthy can be. Your family may have only had beans that come in cans, and those beans often have a very metallic taste, which makes them less than appealing. Randall Beans are jarred, which means you experience nothing but the simple deliciousness of the beans themselves. This may encourage your loved ones to stay on the health bandwagon long after the New Year’s motivation has faded.
Make a great start together and go forth into a healthy new year with Randall Beans as your secret ingredient!
And, whether you’re spending the holidays at your childhood home, at your neighbor’s house, or at home with your pets, from the bottom of our hearts at Randall Beans we wish you a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!
