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