iVillage

Cooking Shortcuts: Healthy or Not?

Need to save time in the kitchen? Find out what's worth cooking from scratch—and what isn't (9 Photos)

Robert Barnett on Oct 28, 2009 at 12:57PM

chime in now

Single View
View All

1 of 9

v. janssen/getty images

Don't Cook: Beans

Imagine the perfect home cook. She makes everything from scratch. Morning, noon and night, she brings her family delicious, nutritious dishes from her kitchen. Enticing aromas fill the house. Don’t we just hate her?

Fortunately, many shortcut foods are just as tasty and good for you as homemade. But sometimes cooking really does make a difference. To help us figure out what’s really worth cooking, we asked iVillage health editor-at-large Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., and food writer Debby Maugans.

Their first agreement: canned beans. “They’re great in soup, stews and appetizers,” says Maugans. They’re excellent sources of protein, fiber, B vitamins and other nutrients. On a low-sodium diet? Look for “no salt added” beans, suggests Dr. Fernstrom.