Pear Facts

• Canned foods often provide needed nutrients at a lower cost than fresh, frozen, and dried forms, particularly when price, waste, and time to prepare are considered.
• Canned pears are a convenient and easy way to add fruit to your diet.
• All forms – canned, fresh, frozen, dried and 100% juice – of fruits and vegetables provide needed nutrients that make up a healthy diet.
• From a nutrition and sensory standpoint, recipes prepared with canned ingredients and those prepared using cooked fresh and/or frozen ingredients rate comparably.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Pears:

• When a recipe calls for a poached pear, simply use a can of pear halves.
• Freeze one can of slide pears in juice until solid and then blend with 1.5 cups of sugar-free lemonade and 6-ounces of low-fat or nonfat yogurt for a refreshing drink.
• Puree canned pears to add to soups as a thickener or even to smoothies and salad dressings.
• Roast canned pears with rosemary pecans and olive oil, then combine with cranberry sauce for a quick and easy Thanksgiving relish.

Canned Pineapple

• Canned foods often provide needed nutrients at a lower cost than fresh, frozen, and dried forms, particularly when price, waste, and time to prepare are considered.
• Canned pineapple is an affordable, convenient, and easy way to get fruit into your diet ear-round.
• All forms – canned, fresh, frozen, dried and 100% juice – of fruits and vegetables provide needed nutrients that make up a healthy diet.
• From a nutrition and sensory standpoint, recipes prepared with canned ingredients and those prepared using cooked fresh and/or frozen ingredients rate comparably.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Pineapple

• Make a colorful and classic fruit compote by combining canned, drained pineapple chunks, fresh seedless red and green grapes, and slivers of dried apricots.  Lightly douse the fruits with pineapple juice that is drained from the can.
• Freeze one can of crushed pineapple in juice until solid and then blend with any low-fat yogurt.  Add ice and other fruits to your liking.
• Top frozen yogurt, cottage cheese, waffles, salads, and even pork, chicken, or salmon with canned pineapple.

Canned Green Beans

Canned green beans contribute fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, and folate, among other important nutrients.

When the cost of preparation time is considered, canned green beans provide fiber and folate at a lower cost than fresh and frozen.

Canned green beans require no preservatives.  Once the vegetables are picked and packed at the peak of ripeness, they’re cooked quickly at high temperatures and sterilized in steel cans to keep in nutrients.

Most companies that pack canned green beans are located very close to the field where they are grown.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Green Beans:

• Finely chop green beans and mix in with ground beef before baking meatloaf, burgers, or meatballs for extra flavor and nutrition.
• Serve with butter, Worcestershire, lemon juice, cumin, and slivered almonds for a fancy, delicious side dish!
• Open, heat, serve!

Canned Peas

• Canned foods often provide needed nutrients at a lower cost than fresh, frozen, and dried forms, particularly when price, waste, and time to prepare are considered.
• Canned peas are a convenient and easy way to add vegetables to your diet.
• All forms – canned, fresh, frozen, dried and 100% juice – of fruits and vegetables provide needed nutrients that make up a healthy diet.
• From a nutrition and sensory standpoint, recipes prepared with canned ingredients and those prepared using cooked fresh and/or frozen ingredients rate comparably.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Peas:

• Puree a can of peas with a mixture of seasonings and herbs to make a salad dressing that’s half the fat and an added serving of vegetables.
• Add peas to brown rice, soups, or salads for an added serving of vegetables.

Canned Tomatoes

• One-half cup of canned tomatoes provides 20% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C.
• It is nearly 60 percent more expensive to obtain dietary fiber from fresh tomatoes as from the same portion of canned tomatoes. Not only is the price of canned tomatoes lower than fresh for the same serving size, but fresh tomatoes take longer to prepare, adding to the total cost of fresh.
• Tomatoes contain lycopene, an important carotenoid, which may help protect against prostate cancer and heart disease.
• One-half cup of canned tomatoes provides 11.8 milligrams of lycopene compared to just 3.7 milligrams found in one medium fresh, uncooked tomato.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Tomatoes:

• Use cilantro-flavored canned, chopped tomatoes for a quick salsa, or use them as a topping on a baked potato.
• Flavor plain diced canned tomatoes with a bit of ground cumin and serve warm as a sauce for chicken or fish.
• Give your favorite vegetable soup a nutritional punch by adding any type of your favorite canned tomatoes.
• Top nachos or tacos with canned diced tomatoes packed with green chiles to add flavor, nutrition and to avoid chopping.

Canned Pinto Beans

• When the cost of preparation time is taken into consideration, canned pinto beans cost $1 less per serving as a source of protein and fiber than bagged dried beans.  This is because it takes about six minutes to prepare a can of pinto beans while it takes almost 2 1/2 hours (soaking and cooking) for bagged dried beans to be meal-ready.
• Did you know canned beans are the only protein source that doubles as a fiber?  In fact, one serving of canned beans provides 20% or more of daily fiber needs.
• Research shows draining and rinsing canned beans reduces sodium content per serving by 41%.  Draining alone resulted in a 36% sodium reduction.

Quick Tips for Using Canned Pinto Beans:

• Top nachos with beans for added flavor and nutrition
• Add a can of beans to your favorite chili or soup recipe, or to a fresh salad to boost flavor and nutrition.
• Open, heat, and serve! No soaking overnight or cooking for hours, since they’re already cooked!