Adding Canned Fruits, Vegetables Helps Reaching Daily Health Goals

More than two-thirds of American adults are not getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diet, a trend that has remained steady for more than a decade, according to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. That got us thinking. What if we developed a collection of recipes that sneaks extra servings of fruit and vegetables into delicious, sweet and savory baked goods?

Chef and cookbook author Andrew Schloss, in partnership with the Canned Food Alliance, got to work in his test kitchen and did just that. The result? A portfolio of five quick, convenient and nutritious baked goods recipes that ingeniously combine store-bought mixes, canned goods and a few other ingredients. Called "CANfidential Creations," each recipe yields at least a half-cup of fruits or vegetables per delectable serving.

"What I like about these recipes is that, unless you baked them yourself, you wouldn't guess that they provide a half-cup of fruits or vegetables in each serving," says Schloss. "Mom can get the doubly good feeling of feeding her family a special treat that they will gobble up, while knowing that she is helping them reach their daily goal for fruits and vegetables."

Inside the CANfidential Creations Recipe File

The CANfidential Creations recipe collection offers a mix of sweet and savory baked goods ideal for getting a jump on holiday baking or simply for a warm-from-the-oven treat for family and friends. The recipes include:

-- Red Satin Layer Cake with Peaches and Raspberries

-- "German" Chocolate Cake

-- Carrot Spice Cake with Apricot Curd

-- Stuffed Garlic Spinach Bread

-- Sweet Potato Pecan Waffles with Praline Peaches

"I enjoy experimenting with canned goods in my recipes, so when the CFA challenged me to come up with some sweet treats that slip in extra servings of fruits and vegetables, I jumped at the chance," says Schloss. "Many people are not aware that canned products are comparable to, and sometimes even surpass, the nutritional content of fresh or frozen versions and they are tailor-made for swapping with fat-laden oils found in traditional recipes."

Bolstering Schloss' assertion that canned fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of vital nutrients, a recent University of California, Davis study concluded that a diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables delivered in any number of forms -- canned, fresh and frozen -- is desirable. The research, which was published in the Journal for the Science of Food and Agriculture and sponsored by the Canned Food Alliance, went on to assert that neglecting one form over another ignores the nutritional benefits that each provides.