OMAHA, Neb., April 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The new 2015
Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend most Americans consume
2.5 cups of vegetables a day, a goal almost 9 out of 10 Americans
are not meeting (i). But research coming out of the Illinois Institute of Technology and presented at
the 2016 Experimental Biology Conference April 2-6 in San Diego,
Calif shows that canned tomatoes may be a good gateway
vegetable to help people meet these veggie goals.
The study, which looked at 21 adults' vegetable consumption,
found that participants who were encouraged to add either one cup
of Hunt's tomatoes or one cup of raw vegetables to their diets both
increased their total vegetable intake during the study. When
eating canned tomatoes, participants increased their intake to 2.28
cups, just shy of the recommended 2.5 cups a day. When adding raw
vegetables, they increased it to 2.58 cups. The amounts were not
statistically different from each other, but were significantly
higher than starting intakes.
"It's not news that people struggle to eat adequate vegetables,"
says Britt Burton-Freeman, PhD,
Associate Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois
Institute of Technology. "This research showed that fresh
isn't the only way to meet vegetable requirements. In fact,
encouraging vegetable consumption from convenient sources like
canned tomatoes, tomato sauces, tomato paste and puree can help
people more easily include vegetables in their diets."
This research was supported by ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:
CAG). For more information about the study, visit
www.ConAgraFoodsScienceInstitute.com. Visit Hunts.com for quick,
easy and nutritious recipes ideas to help incorporate tomatoes into
your diet.
ABOUT THE STUDY & METHODOLOGY
In the randomized, cross-over study, 21 adults were encouraged
to add either one cup of Hunt's canned tomatoes (sauce, diced,
whole, stewed or paste) or one cup of raw vegetables to their diets
for two weeks each to test whether they would be able to increase
their total vegetable intake. Participants' starting vegetable
intake was 1.43 cups. Food group intakes were assessed using USDA's
Food Pattern Equivalents Database.
Both groups increased vegetable consumption during the study.
The average total vegetable intake between Tomato and Raw
interventions at Week 2 were not statistically different, but both
were higher than starting intake. When eating canned tomatoes,
participants increased their daily total vegetable intake to 2.28
cups. When adding raw vegetables, they increased it to 2.58
cups.
About ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading packaged food
companies with recognized brands such as Marie Callender's®, Healthy Choice®, Slim Jim®,
Hebrew National®, Orville
Redenbacher's®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, PAM®, Snack Pack®,
Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Hunt's® and many other
ConAgra Foods brands found in grocery, convenience, mass
merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong
business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet
potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain
products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice
operators and commercial customers. For more information, please
visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
(i) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S.
Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. 8th Edition. December
2015.
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Noren
ConAgra
(402) 240-5469
nicole.noren@conagrafoods.com
www.conagrafoods.com
Madeline Martin
Edelman
(312) 240-3035
Madeline.Martin@edelman.com
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SOURCE ConAgra