Beans, Potatoes & Fiber: Why We Don't Need to Be Afraid of Carbs

Thank God we can eat a potato again.

For a while there, it felt like every carbohydrate came with a warning label. Potatoes were suspicious, beans were somehow too carby, and rice had better be made from cauliflower. And if God forbid, you ate a piece of bread without first explaining yourself, good luck.

Thankfully, the conversation around carbohydrates is getting a little more nuanced.

Because these are delicious, nutritious, whole foods and when they're prepared thoughtfully and eaten as part of a satisfying meal, they can be some of the most useful foods in your kitchen.

Fiber rich foods bring carbohydrates for energy, support your digestive system, and a contain whole host of nutrients that make them worth keeping around.

You don't have to choose between feeling full and feeling fueled.

And you don't have to look at a plate of beans and potatoes and immediately assume your blood sugar is headed for the solar system.

Fiber is more than a number

This is where we think the current interest in fiber gets really interesting.

Yes, fiber matters. But we don't think the goal is to turn your meals into a math equation and spend the rest of the day counting grams.

The better question is: Are you regularly eating the foods that naturally bring fiber along with them?

And just as importantly, how are those foods prepared?

At Farm to Table Burritos, we're a little obsessive about that part.

We soak our beans, we cook them thoughtfully, and we incorporate bone broth to maximize nutrient density. Because good food isn't just about what you put into a recipe, it's also about what you do with it.

This is the part you don't have to do yourself

Here's the beautiful thing about a burrito.

You don't have to remember to soak the beans the night before, or make a pot of bone broth. You don't have to roast the vegetables, make the sauce, cook the meat, wash the dishes and then figure out what everyone is eating tomorrow.

We've already done that part.

Our burritos are built around thoughtfully prepared ingredients, including beans, vegetables, quality proteins and scratch-made sauces. We take the extra steps because we care about how the food is made, not just how convenient it is.

Then we freeze it!

So when life gets busy, you get the benefit of all that work without having to do all that work.

That, to us, is what clean convenience should mean.

Not taking shortcuts with the food, taking shortcuts with your time.

So let's stop being afraid of satisfying food

Maybe eating better doesn't need to mean eating less, but rather eating food that actually satisfies you!

A meal with protein, some good fat, a generous serving of plants, alongside beans or potatoes or another carbohydrate that gives you energy. Food prepared with care and eaten slowly enough to actually enjoy it.

That sounds a lot more sustainable to us than spending your life trying to outsmart a potato.

And if you've been avoiding beans, potatoes or other carbohydrate-rich foods because you've been told they don't belong in a healthy diet, you might consider giving them another look.

You may find that the foods you thought you needed to avoid are actually some of the foods that make a satisfying meal work!

And yes, fiber is part of that story.

Beans are one of our favorite examples.

They're a source of fiber and plant protein, they're incredibly versatile, and they make a meal feel substantial. They're also one of those wonderfully unglamorous foods that have been nourishing people for a very long time while the rest of us keep inventing new names for eating them.

We're happy to see fiber getting some attention, but you don't need to turn your kitchen into a laboratory to eat more of it.

You can start with the foods you already know how to cook. And if you don't have time to cook them?

That's where your freezer can come in.

Meet the burrito that makes the case

Our seasonal Hog Hash is basically this whole philosophy wrapped in a tortilla.

We start with heritage pasture-raised pork, then pair it with sage-roasted sweet potato and black beans cooked in bone broth. Add caramelized onion, our maple mustard aioli and a Freedom Wrap™, and you've got a burrito that is hearty, savory, a little sweet, and very much not trying to be “health food.”

It's just really good food made thoughtfully.

And because it's a limited-time seasonal flavor, this is one to grab while we have it. We made it for fall, and when this batch is gone, it's gone.

If you've been looking for an easy way to put more beans, vegetables and thoughtfully prepared whole foods into your week, start here.

[Shop Hog Hash →]

Your freezer will thank you.