With March being National Nutrition Month, now is a perfect time to commit to eating healthful meals and snacks. Good nutrition doesn't have to be expensive, hard to follow or even compromise on taste. In fact, making small changes – or even tweaks – to your food choices can have big health payoffs.
Listed below are some facts about nutritious canned foods, as well as healthful and easy-to-prepare recipes from the Canned Food Alliance.
Did you know?
A recent Rutgers University study found, though mothers realize the link between diet and health, they find it tough to eat and prepare meals healthfully when they’re busy or stressed. That’s when convenience becomes paramount.
Stock your pantry with nutritious canned fruits, vegetables, beans, meats, chicken, turkey, fish, soups and sauces for an easy way to keep meal preparation and cooking time to a minimum.
Canned tomatoes and tomato sauces are among the best sources of lycopene. Get healthful doses of lycopene from canned tomato products in these dishes:
Canned pumpkin (1/2 cup) contains 360 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin A, compared to the same amount of boiled, mashed fresh pumpkin that contains 120 percent DV. Punch up the vitamin A in your meals with pumpkin:
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans eat three cups of beans (legumes) a week. Fit in more beans – and more fiber – with these dishes:
Omega-3 fatty acids may help protect against heart disease. Canned salmon and canned tuna are good sources of omega-3s and are good for your heart as well as flavorful for your plate. These dishes make eating omega-3s easy:
