OMAHA, Neb., April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Enjoy your food,
but eat less. Avoid oversized portions. These messages from the
2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans address the country's leading
nutritional problem: the overconsumption of calories. With people
increasingly looking for healthy foods in the right portions,
ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG), one of North
America's leading food makers, presented new research
findings yesterday at the 2011 Experimental Biology Conference in
Washington, D.C.
Noted cardiologist Dr. James
Rippe, founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle
Institute, led two 30-day research studies, sponsored by ConAgra
Foods, exploring how weight loss using portion-controlled Healthy
Choice meals affected dietary quality and quality of life.
"This study reinforces the fact that portion control is
fundamental to successful weight loss," said Mark Andon, Ph.D., vice president, Nutrition,
ConAgra Foods. "What's exciting is that study participants enjoying
portion-controlled Healthy Choice frozen meals for lunch or dinner
not only improved the quality of their diets, they also reported an
increased sense of well-being, having more energy, and feeling
healthier after just 30 days. And they said it was easy to do with
the range of delicious Healthy Choice varieties."
As part of a reduced calorie eating plan incorporating walking
for physical activity, study participants replaced at least 10
meals per week with Healthy Choice frozen meals. One study focused
on eating the meals primarily for lunch and the other mainly as a
dinner replacement, both with similar results.
Participants lost an average of six pounds and reduced waist
circumference by about one inch. Additionally, despite the decrease
in calories, participants significantly improved the quality of
their overall diets by increasing dietary fiber, reducing saturated
fat intake by 50 percent, and by consuming 30 percent less
cholesterol and sodium.
The two main contributors to calorie overconsumption are portion
distortion and calorie density. Healthy Choice helps people avoid
these dietary pitfalls because the meals are appropriately
portioned and low in calorie density with the calorie content
clearly labeled. Additionally, the nearly 70 varieties, all with
less than 400 calories, provide positive nutrients such as whole
grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants.
"Healthy Choice does the work of meal planning and preparation
for you, making an extensive selection of deliciously nutritious
foods that are ready in minutes and use healthy cooking techniques
such as steaming," said Carlos
Veraza, vice president and general manager, ConAgra Foods.
"Steaming unlocks the fresh taste of our wholesome ingredients that
Americans can easily enjoy in adopting a healthier lifestyle."
About Healthy Choice
Healthy Choice offers a variety of meals to satisfy any taste.
For more information on the various Healthy Choice product lines,
visit www.HealthyChoice.com. For special offers and
up-to-the-minute information, stay in touch with the brand online:
"Like" the brand on Facebook (www.facebook.com/healthychoice) and
follow Healthy Choice on Twitter
(www.twitter.com/Healthy_Choice).
About ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading food companies, with
brands in 97 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, Slim Jim, Snack
Pack and many other 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:
Becky Niiya
ConAgra Foods
(402) 240-5312
becky.niiya@conagrafoods.com
www.conagrafoods.com
SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.