Latest Findings Presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology
Conference
EDINA, Minn., April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ConAgra Foods
announced today new research that shows eating a filling but
calorie-controlled snack, such as Orville
Redenbacher's® 94 percent fat-free SmartPop!® popcorn, will
leave you feeling fuller and less hungry than snacking on the same
caloric amount of milk chocolate. A ConAgra Foods research team led
the study, which was presented yesterday at the Experimental
Biology Conference (April 24 - 28,
2010), in Anaheim, Calif.,
attended by roughly 13,000 scientists.
The study found that participants who ate a 100-calorie portion
of Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop!
popcorn versus two nuggets of milk chocolate (also 100 calories)
were significantly less hungry and more full, had less desire for a
second snack, and were more satisfied with the amount of food after
eating the popcorn.
"We know that feeling hungry is a barrier to weight loss. Our
findings show that low-fat popcorn is a smart snack choice for
managing weight because it helps people feel less hungry and more
satisfied. SmartPop! popcorn also has the benefit of being 100
percent whole grain and an excellent source of fiber," said
Kristin Reimers, PhD, Nutrition
Manager, ConAgra Foods.
There were 49 female participants in the study, aged 20 to 50
years old, with a BMI between 18 and 25 (normal weight). All
participants followed the same consumption protocol in a controlled
testing facility. After an overnight fast, they arrived at the
testing facility, ate a controlled breakfast, and then ate a snack
3.5 hours after breakfast. Participants' fullness levels were
approximately 40 percent higher 30 minutes after snacking on
popcorn versus after eating chocolate.
The popcorn versus chocolate study is part of ongoing research
showing that low-fat popcorn is a smart snack choice for weight
management. In April 2009, a similar
study found that subjects who ate up to six cups of low-fat popcorn
(100 calories) 30 minutes before lunch consumed the same amount of
total calories from the popcorn snack and a subsequent meal, as
those who consumed only water before the meal. In contrast, when
subjects ate a cup of potato chips (150 calories) before the meal,
they ate significantly more total calories including the meal. In
other words, eating a popcorn snack before a meal curbed hunger
without increasing total caloric intake.
Both studies used Orville
Redenbacher's SmartPop! popcorn, which is 100 percent whole
grain and 94 percent fat-free. It comes in either full-sized or
100-calorie bags to further help you manage your caloric intake.
SmartPop! popcorn contains zero grams of trans fat and zero
milligrams of cholesterol. Additionally, whole grains support heart
health, and previous research has shown that popcorn consumers get
more than twice the amount of whole grains as is typical in the
U.S. diet, plus 20 percent more total fiber. As an added bonus,
Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet
Popping Corn pops up lighter and fluffier than ordinary popcorn.
For more information about Orville
Redenbacher's SmartPop! popcorn, visit www.orville.com.
Orville
Redenbacher's®, a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc.,
(NYSE: CAG) is one of North
America's leading food companies, with brands in 96 percent
of America's households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee,
Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Peter Pan,
Reddi-wip and many ConAgra Foods brands 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.
For more information,
please contact:
|
|
Regina
DeMars
|
|
ConAgra
Foods
|
|
402-240-6727
|
|
regina.demars@conagrafoods.com
|
|
|
|
Katie
Yates
|
|
Ketchum
|
|
202-835-9463
|
|
katie.yates@ketchum.com
|
|
|
SOURCE ConAgra Foods