Dense bean salads are becoming increasingly popular on TikTok—but do they deserve a spot in your weekly meal plan?

This Viral TikTok Recipe Is Packed With Protein and Fiber—And It's Dietitian-Approved

Dense bean salads are becoming increasingly popular on TikTok—but do they deserve a spot in your weekly meal plan?

• Dense bean salad is the latest recipe to go viral on TikTok.
• Beans are a good source of plant-based protein, fiber, and other nutrients, and dietitians say dense bean salads could be a healthy option for your weekly meal prep.
• However, people should increase their fiber intake slowly to avoid any gastrointestinal symptoms, and should make sure the ingredients in the salad are right for their health goals.
  

From feta pasta to whipped coffee, TikTok has seen its fair share of viral recipe and meal planning ideas. And the latest recipe making its way to the top of people's feeds—dubbed the dense bean salad, or DBS—is one that even dietitians can get behind.

The dense bean salad has gained traction on the app over the past few months thanks in large part to creator Violet Witchel (or @violet.cooks), whose dense bean salad recipes have millions of views.

These recipes vary slightly in flavor and ingredients—Witchel’s most popular videos include a sun-dried tomato dense bean salad, spicy chipotle chicken dense bean salad, and grinder dense bean salad, for example.

However, at its core, a dense bean salad features multiple types of beans, herbs, lots of vegetables, a vinegar-based dressing, and sometimes meat or other protein. Commenters say Witchel’s recipes are not only simple and healthy meal prep ideas but that they’re also good for the gut. And nutrition experts seem to agree.

“A dense bean salad is simply a hearty, meal-prepped salad that contains all the components necessary to create a filling, balanced meal,” said Diana Guevara, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian with the Nourish Program at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

“Dietitians often promote balance in creating meals by ensuring we are incorporating lots of veggies, protein, high-quality carbohydrates, and healthy fats,” she told Health. “These dense bean salads check all of the boxes nutrition experts have been promoting.”

Here are the five things dietitians say you should know about dense bean salads, including why these might be good recipes to add to your weekly meal prep schedule.

Dense Bean Salads Are Nutritious

As TikTokers have suggested, a dense bean salad is actually a good way to get the protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your body needs, Mia Syn, RDN, a registered dietitian and host of “Good Food Friday” on ABC Charleston in South Carolina, told Health.

In particular, dense bean salads are a source of plant-based protein and fiber and are naturally low in fat, she said.

“[They] are also rich in an array of vegetables such as cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and artichoke hearts, which are sources of fiber important for digestive health, and antioxidants that help fight free radicals and keep cells healthy,” says Syn.

In fact, the nutrients you get from dense bean salads could help promote better sleep quality, maintain hormone regulation, and boost digestion, said Natalie Stronczek, RD, a registered dietitian with USA Pulses, an organization representing the U.S. pea, lentil, bean, and chickpea industry.

“Pulses [edible seeds of legumes] are a rich source of magnesium,” she told Health. “One cup of cooked lentils provides 18% of the daily recommended intake of magnesium, a micronutrient crucial for relaxation and regulating the body’s circadian rhythm by influencing neurotransmitters and melatonin production.”

Beans also are packed with iron and folate, essential for synthesizing and regulating reproductive hormones, she added.

The Ingredients in a Dense Bean Salad Could Help Prevent Disease

Eating beans alongside a variety of vegetables that are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals may also reduce your risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, Claire Edgemon, RDN, LDN, a senior registered dietitian at the Baylor College of Medicine, told Health.

Beans in particular have also been shown to help lower cholesterol levels.

In practice, beans are also a dietary staple in many blue zone regions—areas of the world where people live the longest, added Lindsay Malone, RDN, LD, an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. These blue zones—including Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California—tend to have above-average concentrations of people living into their 90s without chronic disease.

Chickpeas, beans, vegetables, and lean meat and chicken are also part of the Mediterranean Diet, which has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and age-related memory decline, among other benefits.

Dense Bean Salads Can Be Good for Digestive Health

Beans are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, meaning they can be helpful for digestion. This includes getting rid of constipation and normalizing bowel movements.

In addition, beans also act as prebiotics, Stronczek said, meaning “they feed beneficial gut bacteria [and foster] a healthy microbiome, which in turn enhances digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function.”

Adding more fiber to your diet via a dense bean salad could be especially important, as fiber intake in the U.S. consistently falls below recommendations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people eat 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed. However, some studies have shown that only about 5% of Americans are eating enough fiber.

Nutritional Make Up and Easy Prep Could Promote Weight Management

Overall, dense bean salads keep you feeling full for longer because protein and fiber take longer to digest, said Edgemon. This increased satiety or fullness could be helpful in weight management.

Dense bean salads are also a good choice for weight management since they’re easy to prepare and store, unlike some lettuce-based salads—you can simply grab a dense bean salad out of the refrigerator when you may be short on time.

“The draw to these dense bean salads is that they keep well in the refrigerator throughout the week, making for a quick and easy grab-and-go meal,” said Guevara. “Since the vegetables and beans tend to be heartier, the flavors in the dressing have the chance to meld over time without creating a soggy salad.”

Dense Bean Salads May Not Be the Best Recipe for Everyone

Before you jump on the dense bean salad bandwagon, though, there are some things to keep in mind. For one, if you haven’t previously been eating high amounts of fiber, it’s best to increase your intake slowly while drinking lots of water, Edgemon suggested.

“Sometimes gas and intestinal discomfort can result from a quick increase in fiber,” she said.

Beans also contain fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPS), so they can be difficult for some people to digest, Malone told Health.

“You can improve digestibility of beans by rinsing them well under cold water, cooking them in a pressure cooker, or soaking and sprouting them,” she said. “You [also] want to make sure you eat slowly and chew beans well.”

Additionally, people with certain health conditions may want to modify the dense bean salad recipes they see, depending on which ingredients are included.

“Processed meats like salami, pepperoni, and deli meats are high in sodium, so people who are at an increased risk for or who are managing high blood pressure should not choose those types of additions,” Edgemon explained. “Processed meats, as well as steak, could be high in saturated fat, which is the type of fat that increases the risk of heart disease.”

Like any dietary change, it’s best to talk with your healthcare provider or registered dietitian to see if dense bean salad meal prep is right for you, Guevara said.

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Sherri Gordon