There are so many reasons to include beans in your diet, and these days the price is a winning one. Having a large pot of cooked black beans around which can be easily added to rice for lunch, any meal for dinner, or even used to make black bean burgers can add an extra shot of protein to a meal in favor of extra meat. But did you know that not all beans are gluten-free?

Naturally Gluten-Free

Yes, beans are a naturally gluten-free food, but many dried varieties warn on their packaging or on their websites that the finished product may contain gluten. The reason being possible contamination during processing. Often dried beans are processed in facilities that also manufacture products with gluten-containing ingredients.

Canned is Safer

I recently bought a bag of Goya beans which I realized their website claims may be contaminated with gluten, but my can of Blue Label Black Beans is gluten-free. According to Gluten Free Living Magazine, this is because the manufacturers of canned beans typically process canned fruits and vegetables, which are also gluten-free.

There is still some argument over whether dried beans are safe, and whether dried beans can simply be rinsed, but for the sake of my health, I know that I’m sticking with canned.