Professor Tim Spector, a gut health scientist and Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, has said he approves of beans on toast as a meal but recommends swapping white sliced bread for a higher-fibre alternative.
The professor said white bread is low in fibre and can leave people feeling hungry again a couple of hours later. The beans themselves help make the meal better by providing fibre and protein.
A British classic with a gut-friendly twist
He said: "It may surprise you as a gut health scientist that I actually approve of this British classic, beans on toast."
He added that the meal is "much better than a ham sandwich", but said changing the bread could improve it further.
Instead of white sliced bread, Spector recommends choosing bread with a higher fibre-to-sugar ratio. Options could include rye or sourdough, while he has also advised swapping white bread for wholemeal or wholegrain varieties.
Why the bread swap matters
White bread has much of the grain's fibre-rich outer layers removed, whereas switching can add more fibre and a wider variety of plant compounds to the meal.
Professor Spector described beans on toast as a "pretty good meal for your gut", with haricot beans containing fibre and carbohydrates which can be fermented by gut microbes.
Extra upgrades for the meal
For anyone wanting to take the meal a little further, he also suggested adding spinach, garlic and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the beans.
He said: "That’s my kind of upgrade. Roughly the same amount of effort, but a much more interesting meal for your gut microbes."
So the basic beans on toast doesn't have to disappear. Simply changing the type of bread underneath it could make the meal more filling while adding more fibre.
