Nutrition: It’s in the can! Nutrition, Convenience and Flavors of Canned Foods Roberta L. Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS

1. Nutrition: It’s in the can! Nutrition, Convenience and Flavors of Canned Foods Roberta L. Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS Food and Nutrition Consultant, CFA Spokesperson and Author, 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association

2. About the Canned Food Alliance • Primary Mission: to educate consumers about the nutrition, convenience and versatility of canned foods • Consumer Reach: CFA online at mealtime.org for hundreds of mealtime solutions • Leadership: working to help consumers meet the advice from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and MyPyramid

3. Canning = Cooking Canned food • Cooked food, packed for convenience: • Canned pear is a cooked pear • Fish (canned tuna or salmon) has been filleted and steamed • Canned beans have been soaked and simmered to be ready to eat • Preservation and safety • Payoff in saved time and effort

4. 2005 Healthy Eating Trends Positive nutrition, focusing on: • Variety of nutrient-rich foods to get the most nutrition for the calories • Health benefits of phytonutrients • Balance how much you eat/how much you move Convenience, recognizing: • 24/7 lifestyles Flavor, understanding that: • Taste still reigns

5. Foods for Today’s Dietary Guidance • Food variety • From and within every food group • Nutrient-dense foods • Calories that count • “Good” fat sources (tuna, salmon) • Potassium sources (fruits, vegetables) • Iron sources (chicken, fish, meat, beans) • Whole grains: corn counts • Foods with phytonutrients • Colors of health  Antioxidant power • Fiber (beans and more) • Heating/canning on bioavailability • Lycopene in tomatoes, lutein in corn

6. Research notes…Canned Foods Deliver Nutrition Canned, cooked fresh and frozen foods: • Comparable in nutrients & fiber, prepared for the table • Many fruits & vegetables: high in carotenoids, potassium, folate • Canned salmon: higher calcium (canning softens small bones) • Canning: no effect on fiber content; may make fiber more soluble Implications: • Canned foods are excellent alternatives to fresh and frozen, providing nutrients expected from any food group • If a food is labeled as high in a nutrient, then the form (canned, frozen, or fresh) will not alter that Source: University of Illinois Nutrition Study, 1997

7. Research notes…Canned Foods Deliver “Phytos” Flavonoids: canned, fresh and frozen blueberries • Blueberries: antioxidant power, regardless of form • Canning: no diminished levels of flavonoids measured • Some flavonoid levels: canned blueberries slightly higher • Juices in canned blueberries: deliver antioxidants Implications: • Canned blueberries:year-round source of antioxidants • Unique research design: can apply to comparing phytonutrient levels in processed and fresh forms of other fruits/vegetables Source: Oregon Health Sciences University Phytonutrient Study 2004, with analysis by U.S. Department of Agriculture

8. Nutrition

9. MyPyramid: CANnections Vegetable Group… Vary your veggies Foods: • Any raw or cooked vegetable, 100% vegetable juice • Fresh, canned, frozen, dried Daily Recommendation: • 2½ cups* 1 cup = 1 cup raw, cannedor cooked vegetable or juice, or 2 cups raw, leafy greens * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Plenty of color: orange • carrots, red tomatoes • and green beans • No-salt added or low- • sodium varieties • Veggies with more • potassium • Ready-to-eat beans • of all kinds

10. MyPyramid: CANnections Fruit Group… Focus on fruits Foods: • Any raw or cooked fruit, 100% fruit juice • Fresh, canned, frozen, dried Daily Recommendation: • 2 cups* 1 cup = 1 cup fruit or juice, ½ cup dried fruit * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Plenty of color: orange • peaches, red cherries, • blueberries and green kiwi • Varieties in juice, water or • light syrup • Fruit, some more potassium

11. MyPyramid: CANnections Grain Group… Make half your grains whole Foods: • Any raw or cooked fruit, 100% fruit juice • Fresh, canned, frozen, dried Daily Recommendation: • 6 ounces* 1 ounce = 1 regular slice bread; 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal; or ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Corn • Wild rice • Various canned • ingredients as whole- • grain partners

12. MyPyramid: CANnections Milk Group… Get your calcium-rich foods Foods: • Milk and yogurt (various flavors), including canned milk; cheese • Choose mostly low-fat and fat-free options Daily Recommendation: • 3 cups* 1 cup = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1½ ounces natural cheese, or 2 ounces processed cheese * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Evaporated milk, • including fat-free • Various canned • fruits as partners with • yogurt and dairy dishes

13. MyPyramid: CANnections Meat and Beans Group… Go lean with protein Foods: • Meat, poultry, fish, beans or peas, eggs, nuts and seeds • Fresh, canned, frozen, dried • Choose mostly lean and low-fat foods Daily Recommendation: • 5½ ounces* 1 ounce = 1ounce meat, poultry or fish; ¼ cup cooked, dry beans; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon peanut butter; or ½ ounce nuts/seeds * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Salmon, tuna with • omega-3s • Lean proteins: • chicken, turkey, • crabmeat and shrimp • Canned beef, chili • Ready-to-eat beans • of all kinds • Refried beans, baked • beans (vegetarian)

14. MyPyramid: CANnections Oils Category… Foods: • Vegetable oils (such as canola, olive, safflower, corn and soybean), mayonnaise, salad dressings and soft margarine • “Healthy oils” from other food groups: fatty fish and nuts (meat and beans), olives and avocados (fruit) Daily Allowance: • 6 teaspoons* from all sources 1 tsp. from: 1 tsp. oil, ⅓ounce nuts, or 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise or salad dressing * For 2,000 calorie daily diet • In the canned aisle • Olives • Salmon, tuna with • omega-3s

15. Convenience • Convenient nutrition is always available • Fruits, vegetables • Nutrition-positioned foods • No-salt added (vegetables, broth, beans) • Packed in juice or water (fruit) • Evaporated fat-free milk, lite coconut milk • Packed in olive oil (tuna) • Portion control • Smaller cans • Servings amounts/sizes on label • Simple prep • Ready-to-heat and eat solutions • Can innovations: pop-tops

16. Stock Up For Convenient Nutrition • Prepare for any meal, snack or occasion with a well-stocked pantry: • Canned foods from every food group • Assorted pastas, rice and whole grains • Herbs and spices • Use the pantry as an oversized toolbox

17. Flavor • Harvested and packed at peak quality (most preservative free) • Flavor is shelf stable: unopened, retains peak flavor for about 2 years • Great year round flavor: e.g. canned tomatoes • Smart food prep skills retain canned foods’ flavor and nutrition • Consumers only need to warm up • Long cooking = overcooking

18. Research notes…Canned Foods Deliver Flavor + Nutrition Dishes made with canned, fresh and/or frozen ingredients: • Similar nutrient profiles • Similar flavor perception Implications: • Ingredients, not their form, determine a recipe’s nutrient content • Good preparation, not ingredient form, determines flavor qualities Source: University of Massachusetts Nutrition Study 2000, 40 dishes made with fruits, vegetables, soups, chili, meats, fish and chicken

19. Thank You Visit the Canned Food Alliance online at www.mealtime.org for many ways to help consumers follow the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid …with convenience and great taste!