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Dense bean salads are going viral, and nutritionists agree

Tiktok is known for setting food trends (who hasn't tried cucumber salad, feta pasta or cottage cheese toast?). As a nutritionist, one trend I'm loving right now is dense bean salad. Because if you ask me, beans might be nature's perfect food. That's right: Beans are an inexpensive pantry staple that provide a great source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients with little to no saturated fat. Simply adding a few canned beans to a few of your meals each week is an easy way to significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and more—not many foods can do this on their own. While beans have always been the staple of musical fruit fun, they actually pack a ton of nutrients and potential health benefits in a small package. I'm going to convince you why a bold bean salad will be your next favorite meal.

What is a dense bean salad?

If the dense bean salad (or DBS for short) hasn't landed on your page for you yet, here are the facts. Violet Witchel is the self-proclaimed “dense bean salad girl” after videos of her making a weeknight marinated bean salad went viral on TikTok. The salad usually includes a variation of beans, vegetables, herbs, meat and cheese with a homemade vinegar-based dressing. It's “dense” because it has beans as the base instead of lettuce, meaning it's higher in protein and guaranteed to fill you up – and keep you full longer than a typical salad. Plus, because it uses beans as the base instead of lettuce, it can be stored in the fridge for longer. While bean salads (think 3-bean salad or chickpea salad) are certainly not a new concept, Witchel just came up with a new way to rebrand them with drool-worthy flavor combinations like their dense bean salad or spicy chipotle chicken.

The appeal of dense bean salad is that you can make a big batch of it at the beginning of the week, and it only gets better as it sits in the fridge and the flavors have time to meld. It has given new meaning to food preparation; Long gone are the days when baked chicken, brown rice and steamed broccoli were the order of the day (get well soon!). Another benefit is that these salads are not lettuce-based, making them great for meal prepping – without the fear of soggy lettuce leaves.

Reasons to love dense bean salads

Great for gut health

Getting enough fiber in your diet is one of the best ways to protect your good gut microbes – but most of us eat far less fiber than we should (only 7% of adults in the US eat enough fiber). Beans are an underrated superfood packed with fiber (about 6 grams in half a cup). They're the perfect food for your gut because beans provide a balanced combination of soluble and insoluble fiber – each working in slightly different ways to support overall gut health (soluble fiber helps moisturize stools so they can be more easily excreted, while insoluble fiber supports intestinal health (mass so stool moves faster through the colon).

Not only is the fiber in beans functional, it also contains some prebiotics – which give the healthy bacteria in your gut something to eat. As your good gut microbes ferment this fiber, they create short-chain fatty acids that fuel the cells in the gut, fight inflammation, and boost the immune system. Combined with a rainbow of colorful, fresh vegetables in your lunch (or dinner), you'll get a ton of fiber as well as antioxidants that will also keep your gut microbes happy.

Packed with plant-based protein

There are many good reasons to add more plant protein to your diet. It's not just better for the planet; Plant protein has a lot of benefits. But it's not all or nothing. Most of Witchel's dense bean salads combine beans with an animal protein like chicken. As a nutritionist, I often focus on what we can do add on our diet to make it more balanced instead of eliminating “bad” foods. Adding more beans to your plate alongside your favorite proteins in a salad like DBS can give you the best of both worlds. Your salad will be high in protein, but you'll also reap the health benefits of eating beans.

Provides important nutrients you may be missing

In addition to fiber, beans also contain other essential minerals that are usually low, such as potassium, folic acid and magnesium. Here are the facts: In a half-cup serving, most beans provide 10% (or more) of your daily needs for potassium (helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure) and magnesium (important for strong bones and a healthy immune system). . Dense bean salads can also help you absorb more choline, an essential nutrient that supports proper heart, liver and brain function and metabolism. Like fiber and potassium, most of us don't get enough choline. In fact, up to 9 out of 10 adults in the United States do not get enough choline from their diet. Combining beans with an animal protein such as whole eggs, chicken or steak can optimize the choline content of your DBS.

Are there any downsides to the dense bean salad trend?

There's a lot to love about dense bean salads, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, if you are not used to consuming a lot of fiber (especially in a single meal), you may experience some unwanted side effects. Beans are rich in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (collectively known as FODMAPs). Consuming FODMAPs from zero to 100 can cause bloating, bloating, and discomfort – especially in those with irritable bowel syndrome or other intestinal sensitivities. To avoid this, try adjusting the portion size of your dense bean salad – start small and increase gradually. If serving a smaller portion, I recommend adding it to a wrap or sandwich (instead of a bowl) to provide enough nutrition for an entire meal.

Another potential downside is that you may get tired of eating the same salad every day. Making a big batch of salad for lunch for the week is great in theory (the convenience!), but Friday may be where you run into the problem. Your gut microbiome thrives on a varied diet, so it's not best to eat the same thing every day. But if you like the dense bean salad, change the ingredients week to week to add variety.

Recipes to get you started

Are you ready to create your own DBS? Here are some of my favorites to get you started.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Deborah Murphy MS, RDN, registered dietitian and contributing wellness writer

Deborah Murphy is a registered dietitian, nutrition writer and recipe developer based in Chicago, IL. She has over 10 years of experience in health and wellness and specializes in plant-based nutrition. Deborah currently writes for publications such as Eat well.

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