Despite the healthfulness of the combo, there are ways you can make rice and beans even better. Try these tips:

Tweak traditional recipes. The beans are often cooked with ham hocks, bacon, or lard, which add flavor but also a lot of fat and sodium. Artificial ham-flavored seasoning is often used as a substitute for pork, but it’s packed with sodium.

But rice and beans can be tasty without the pork. Seasoning the beans well is the key. Increase the flavor by sautéing garlic, onion, and green peppers in olive oil until golden before adding cooked beans. Add in spices; paprika, oregano, coriander, and cumin are spices that pair well with beans. Any good-quality blend without MSG—Italian, Caribbean, Taco—also goes well. If you like spicy food, add chili powder to your beans. And adding fresh herbs at the end gives great freshness to the dish.

Bump up the beans. The usual ratio is about half beans, half white rice. “But for a more nutritious combination, you should try two-thirds beans and one-third rice,” says Isabella Ferrari, MCN, R.D., L.D., a clinical dietitian at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Dry beans are typically about one-third the price of canned beans, but some people find cooking with them intimidating. But they can actually be very easy to use, says Schelske-Santos. “I put the beans in a slow cooker in the morning before going to work, and when I get back I prepare the seasoning [sautéed garlic, onions and peppers with spices] and mix in the beans,” she says.

If you use canned beans, rinse them in a colander before cooking them. Canned beans can be high in sodium, but rinsing reduces it by about 40 percent.

Choose the right rice. Rice can be a source of arsenic, and regular exposure to small amounts of this heavy metal can increase the risk of some cancers and heart disease. Consumer Reports’ tests have found that white rices from California, India, and Pakistan have about half the amount of arsenic that most other types do. Brown rice will give you about five times the fiber but also has more arsenic than white rice from the same area. You can further reduce the arsenic content of any type of rice by 40 to 60 percent by cooking it in a large amount of water, the way you would pasta.

Swap in other whole grains. At least half of the grains you eat in a day should be whole grains. But a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey report found that whole grains contribute just 16 percent of the grains American adults eat daily. For Hispanic and African American adults, the percentage is even less—11 and 14 percent, respectively. In place of white or brown rice, try other whole grains. “Barley, wheat berries, and farro combine very well with beans,” says Jason Ziobrowski, corporate chef at InHarvest, a provider of rice, grains, and legumes to restaurants, caterers, and culinary institutions. “They are toothy and bring texture to the mix.” Quinoa also works well, especially in combination with rice. Mix it half and half with rice to boost the protein and fiber content. One cup of cooked quinoa has about 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

You can also make rice and beans healthier by including other vegetables in the dish. “Carrots, onions, and red peppers mix in well with the beans, and they give it a bit of color,” says Ferrari.

To save time, prepare the whole grains and beans on weekends, and store them separately in serving-sized containers in your refrigerator. Most cooked grains and beans also freeze well. When you’re ready to eat, season the beans and combine with the grains.

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