This is the first of a three-part series for refried beans.

Product #1: Casa Corona’s Instant Mexican-Style Refried Beans

Authentic and a family favorite. We don’t doubt either of those claims to fame. Everyone loves authentic Mexican food and refried beans are a staple in many households.

Plus, taking refried beans out of the can and packaging them in a bag where you only need to add water is genius. This creates a product that stores well, travels easy, and can be fixed in a flash—no can opener needed.

Unfortunately with Casa Corona’s version of refried beans, you get more than you bargained for, including interesterified soybean oil and tBHQ.

Well, clean label is out the window and an IMBHO-no is inevitable.

What is interesterified soybean oil?

These types of fats are now used in a lot of food products as a replacement for trans fats. It took some research to find a source that explained what they are in layman terms. According to Andrew Weil, M.D., “interesterified fats have been chemically or enzymatically altered to improve their texture or nutritional profile.” Dr. Weil goes on to talk about research surrounding this type of fat and the controversy of it potentially being as bad as trans fats.

This sent us to PubMed, where we found an abstract that said, “interesterified soybean oil promotes weight gain, impaired glucose tolerance and increased liver cellular stress markers.” While we don’t understand all the science behind this fat, this was enough information for us to decide interesterified fats should not be part of a healthy diet.

What about tBHQ?

The second ingredient that created a stir among the group was tBHQ. We had to research this, too, and the answer was quick. Don’t eat foods that contain tBHQ.

There are many potential health dangers associated with this preservative, including vision disturbances (in humans) and liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects, convulsions, and paralysis in laboratory animals.

According to Healthline, tBHQ (or tertiary butylhydroquinone) acts like an antioxidant, which protects food from discoloration, extends shelf life, and prevents rancidity. Here’s the scary part. In 1999, the “average” intake of tBHQ in the United States was around 0.62mg/kg of body weight. That’s 90 percent of the acceptable intake. We searched and couldn’t find the “average” intake in today’s US diet, but here’s what we did find in Medical News Today (April 2019).

A compound called tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) weakens the body's immune response to influenza infections.

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New research suggests that a chemical compound that helps packaged food stay fresh could weaken the body’s immune response in the fight against influenza.

Furthermore, from this same article, it states the following: “Diet models have led scientists to estimate that some U.S. individuals consume almost double the maximum amount that expert organizations allow.” #eyeopener

That’s all we can say about Casa Corona’s Refried Beans. They tasted okay, they cooked up fine (though they made a mess in the microwave), but we can’t get past the unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients. IMBHO-No!

Next up… Product #2: Santa Fe Bean Company Instant, Fat-Free, Vegetarian Refried Beans