Nutrition in Canned Foods

When trying to make healthy food choices, you may think you need to stick with fresh or frozen products and limit your intake of canned foods. While some canned goods can be high in sodium when compared to fresh or frozen, most have similar nutritional values as their fresh or frozen counterparts. In addition, canned foods may be more economical because they have a longer shelf life than fresh or frozen foods.

Fruit

A variety of canned fruit is available at your local supermarket, packed in both juice and heavy syrup. Fruit canned in juice is lower in calories than fruit packed in heavy syrup. For instance, a 1-cup serving of canned peaches packed in heavy syrup contains 194 calories, 1.2 g of protein, 0.3 g of total fat, 52 g of carbohydrates, 3.4 g of fiber, 241 mg of potassium and 16 mg of sodium. The same size serving of peaches packed in water has 59 calories, 1.1 g of protein, 0.2 g of total fat, 15 g of carbohydrates, 3.2 g of fiber, 242 mg of potassium and 7 mg of sodium. Nutritionally, the peaches packed in water are very similar to fresh. A 1-cup serving of sliced fresh peaches contains 60 calories, 1.4 g of protein, 0.4 g of fat, 15 g of carbohydrates, 2.3 g of fiber, 293 mg of potassium and 0 mg of sodium.

Vegetables

When comparing canned vegetables to fresh or frozen, the differences are minimal. A 1-cup serving of canned, no-added-salt green beans contains 31 calories, 1.8 g of protein, 0.2 g of total fat, 7 g of carbohydrates, 2.9 g of fiber, 167 mg of potassium and 3 mg of sodium. Compare that to a 1-cup serving of frozen green beans, which contains 38 calories, 2 g of protein, 0.3 g of total fat, 9 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of fiber, 215 mg of potassium and 1 g of sodium. The only differences between canned and fresh green beans are the levels of sodium, potassium and fiber -- fresh green beans contain 6 mg of sodium, 211 mg of potassium and 2.7 g of fiber.

To improve the flavor, salt is added to some canned vegetables. Consuming too much salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure, and most Americans consume more than they need. A healthy diet should limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day. Look for low-sodium or no-added-salt varieties to help limit your intake.

Legumes

Legumes are beans, peas and lentils, all of which are high in protein, fiber, folate and potassium. Dried beans can take a long time to cook, which makes canned beans more convenient. Many canned legumes are high in salt, so look for varieties labeled low-sodium or no-added-salt to help limit your intake. A 1-cup serving of canned garbanzo beans contains 286 calories, 12 g of protein, 2.7 g of total fat, 0.3 g of saturated fat, 54 g of carbohydrates, 10.6 g of fiber, 718 mg of sodium, 3.2 mg of iron and 161 micrograms of folate. A 1-cup serving of garbanzo beans cooked at home in water contains 269 calories, 14.5 g of protein, 4.3 g of total fat, 0.4 g of saturated fat, 45 g of carbohydrates, 12.5 g of fiber, 11 mg of sodium, 4.7 mg of iron and 282 micrograms of folate.

Meat

You can also find fish, chicken and pork in a can. Again, look for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. A 100-g, about 3.3 oz., serving of canned tuna packed in water contains 116 calories, 26 g of protein, 0.8 g of total fat, 0 g of carbohydrates, 338 mg of sodium and 1.5 mg of iron. While a 100-g serving of fresh cooked fresh yellow fin tuna contains 130 calories, 29 g of protein, 0.6 g of total fat, 0 g of carbohydrates, 54 mg of sodium and 0.9 mg of iron. While the fresh tuna is significantly lower in sodium, canned is a better source of iron.