Professor Tim Spector has endorsed beans on toast as a lunchtime staple, but with a key modification. The Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London said the dish is ‘much better’ than a ham sandwich, yet he urged people to change the type of bread they use.
White bread is the weak link
Speaking on Instagram, Prof Spector said people are ‘surprised’ that he approves of the British classic. He explained that white bread is ‘really low in fibre, it’s high in sugar, it’s gonna make you hungrier a couple of hours later’. The beans, however, help by ‘suppressing that sugar spike’ and adding fibre and protein to the mix.
He said: “It may surprise you as a gut health scientist that I actually approve of this British classic beans on toast. But let’s talk about the white bread. It’s really low in fibre, it’s high in sugar, it’s gonna make you hungrier a couple of hours later. And it’s the beans that actually help out this whole process by suppressing that sugar spike, and they’re adding fibre and protein to the mix. So overall, it ends up as a moderately good meal and better than most people are eating most days in the UK—much better than a ham sandwich.”
Swap to a better bread
The professor advised choosing a bread with a high fibre-to-sugar ratio, such as rye or sourdough. He suggested keeping the basic ingredients similar but enhancing the meal by selecting a better bread and mixing the tinned beans with cheese and greens.
He said: “Now, there is a way of enhancing that meal, keeping the basic ingredients very similar, simply by choosing a better bread—one that has a high fibre-to-sugar ratio, maybe with rye or with sourdough—and has beans in it that you just get out of a tin, and you mix up with some cheese and some greens in the same time it would take you to heat that tin. Do that, and you’ve got a superb meal that is really hard to beat from a nutritional point of view and will keep you satisfied for hours.”
Gut health benefits
Prof Spector said beans on toast is a ‘pretty good meal for your gut.’ He explained that haricot beans are packed with fibre and special carbohydrates that the body can’t fully digest. Instead, they make their way to the colon, where gut microbes ferment them, producing short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, which helps keep the cells lining the gut healthy.
On cheese, he noted that fermentation transforms milk into ‘something completely different’ and that some cheeses contain live bacteria. He added: “Fermentation can create a whole range of new compounds, and some cheeses also contain live bacteria. It’s another reason I’m a fan of including a variety of fermented foods in your diet.”
He also recommended swapping white bread for wholemeal, wholegrain or rye to add more fibre and plant compounds. Finally, he suggested adding spinach, garlic and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the beans. He said: “And you can take it a step further without spending any more time in the kitchen. Instead of simply heating up your beans, add some spinach, garlic and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. You’ve still got beans on toast, but now you’ve added several more plants, more fibre and a wider variety of compounds for your gut microbes to feed on. That’s my kind of upgrade. Roughly the same amount of effort, but a much more interesting meal for your gut microbes.”
