Yes. Cleveland Clinic says to drain and rinse canned black beans before using them to get rid of some of the excess salt, and Consumer Reports found that step dropped sodium by 40 to 50 percent on average in its lab tests.

The choice starts at the store. Cleveland Clinic recommends looking for low-sodium or no salt added options when choosing canned beans if heart health is your goal. Rinsing is an extra step, not a reason to skip the label. The clinic describes it as removing some of the excess salt, not all of it.

Consumer Reports put the rinse to the test. It sent 12 cans of beans, six chickpeas and six black beans, to a lab both as packaged and after draining and rinsing. The beans were rinsed and gently stirred in a colander for 30 seconds. On average, sodium levels dropped by 40 to 50 percent, the magazine reports. Its tasters tried the beans after rinsing and found that a little salt helps bring out their nutty, earthy flavors, so the lowest-sodium cans can taste bland on their own and pair best with lemon juice, garlic and herbs.

There is a bonus for anyone who avoids beans because of gas. Consumer Reports says the compounds that make some people gassy, called oligosaccharides, dissolve in water and leach into the canning liquid, so draining and rinsing helps with that too. Cleveland Clinic makes the same point, and its dietitian adds that many people tolerate beans well if they start small and eat them consistently over time.

None of this is a reason to pass on canned beans. Consumer Reports notes they are sold ready to eat, while dried beans need soaking for roughly 8 hours first. The nutrients in dried and canned beans are the same, the magazine reports, except that canned beans contain more sodium. Cleveland Clinic calls black beans an excellent source of plant protein and fiber, with 15 grams of protein per cup cooked.

Taste matters less than you might think once the beans go into a recipe. Consumer Reports notes that beans pick up the flavor of the foods and spices they are cooked with, so how they taste on their own is less important in a dish with lots of ingredients. Its tasters liked black beans that were earthy with a hint of nuttiness and held a firm texture with a tender interior, which the magazine says makes them a good fit for chili, a chunky soup or a salad. One low-sodium brand it tested was packed with tiny bits of seaweed instead of salt, the magazine reports.

If you cook dried black beans instead, Cleveland Clinic suggests boiling them on the stove or using a pressure cooker rather than a slow cooker or crock pot. Its dietitian says slow cookers do not get hot enough to eliminate the lectins in black beans, which she calls a major culprit behind gas and bloating. Rinsing the cooked beans thoroughly with water helps with digestion too, the clinic says. Whichever you choose, Cleveland Clinic notes that black beans bring both soluble and insoluble fiber plus antioxidants such as anthocyanin and quercetin, and Consumer Reports adds that Americans eat just one-third cup of beans a week on average, citing a 2021 report in Frontiers in Nutrition.

Talk to your doctor if you have been told to limit sodium, so you know how canned beans fit your plan.