{"id":189531,"date":"2025-04-10T09:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=189531"},"modified":"2025-04-10T09:59:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:59:02","slug":"canned-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/leisure\/food-drink\/canned-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Meal Prep in a Can: Eating Cheap and Healthy Using Only Tinned Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hands<\/p>\n

For my usual lunch meal prep, I cook a batch of chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, and green beans in my pellet smoker<\/a> on Sunday, store them in the fridge, and then portion out a macro-friendly<\/a> lunch each day. Sometimes I\u2019ll also slow cook a big ol\u2019 pot of beans<\/a> to dig into throughout the week. Thinking about those beans . . .<\/p>\n

But the other day, when I was at the grocery store going down the canned food aisle, I had a thought: Could I create high-protein, low-calorie meal-prep lunches using just canned food?<\/p>\n

So I tried it. For one week, every lunch I ate came entirely from canned goods. No fresh meat or produce, no frozen veggies. Exclusively tinned food.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how my experiment went and what I learned.<\/p>\n

The Pros of Canned Food Meal Prep<\/h2>\n

Canned food has a number of underrated advantages:<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s pretty dang convenient. <\/strong>Canned food is the epitome of convenience. Everything is already cooked and chopped. You just open the can, dump it into a pan or bowl, warm it up, and you\u2019re done. It can cut meal prep time down dramatically.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> It\u2019s shelf-stable. <\/strong>One of the best things about canned food is that it doesn\u2019t spoil quickly. You can stock up on cans, and they\u2019ll sit in your pantry for a year or more, waiting for you to use them. No more throwing fresh food away that you didn\u2019t get around to cooking in time because you had a busy week. And you\u2019re prepped for when global pandemics shut down the world.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> It\u2019s affordable. <\/strong>A can of tuna is less than a dollar and packs 27 grams of protein. Canned vegetables are also cheap. You can find cans of green beans, potatoes, corn, and more for under a buck. Canned foods cost about the same as fresh and frozen varieties, but can be considered an especially good deal when you factor in the time saved and the reduced risk of food waste. <\/p>\n

4. It\u2019s very macro-friendly. <\/strong>I was able to put together meals that were high in protein, low in fat, and moderate in carbs \u2014 all from canned foods. Think canned chicken with canned black beans and corn. Or canned tuna with canned potatoes and peas.<\/p>\n

5. It\u2019s still nutritious. <\/strong>There\u2019s this idea out there that canned food is \u201cdead\u201d \u2014 that the canning process strips all the nutrients from the food. That\u2019s not really true. While some water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C may decrease slightly, most nutrients remain intact.<\/p>\n

The Cons of Canned Food Meal Prep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite its robust benefits, canned food does have its drawbacks:<\/p>\n

1. Canned foods can be sodium bombs. <\/strong>Many canned foods are loaded with salt for preservation and taste. After my meals, I noticed some water retention and had difficulty getting my rings off my fingers. But there are ways to minimize this. You can buy reduced-sodium or no-salt-added versions of many canned foods. You can also rinse your canned food under water before using it, which can cut the sodium content by up to 40%.<\/p>\n

2. Cans may use BPA linings. <\/strong>Another concern you\u2019ll hear about canned food is BPA \u2014 a chemical once commonly used in the lining of cans and linked to potential health risks. The good news is that after consumer pushback, most canned food manufacturers have shifted away from BPA linings. But not all have. If this concerns you, check the label or the company\u2019s website for info on their can linings.<\/p>\n

3. The taste and texture are not always the best. <\/strong>I like the taste of canned green beans and corn, but canned potatoes and chicken are . . . different. I kinda felt like I was eating cat food when I ate my canned chicken. Don\u2019t expect your canned food meals to taste amazing. Seasoning and Frank\u2019s Hot Sauce<\/a> will be your friend in making them more palatable.<\/p>\n

3 Easy, Macro-Friendly Canned Food Meal-Prep Recipes<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

During my experiment, I tried out some canned-food-only \u201crecipes.\u201d Here are three I liked:<\/p>\n

Chicken, Green Bean, and Potato Bowl<\/h2>\n
\"Image2\"\/<\/figure>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n