The average American doesn't eat enough vegetables. A 2009 study published in "The Medscape Journal of Medicine" reported that less than 10 percent of Americans eat the amount of produce recommended for their age and gender. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that only 26 percent have at least three servings of vegetables daily. Health experts advise choosing fresh vegetables whenever possible, but canned vegetables are an inexpensive, convenient and relatively nutritious substitute.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ChooseMyPlate.gov, a single serving of most raw or cooked vegetables is 1 cup. This includes 1 cup of cooked canned spinach, 1 cup of carrots, tomatoes, corn or green peas, 1 cup of mashed sweet potato or winter squash and 1 cup of canned beans or legumes. A 1-cup serving of canned vegetables is equivalent to 2 cups of raw leafy greens like spinach, escarole or romaine lettuce and 1 cup of vegetable juice.
An adult woman between 19 and 50 years old needs approximately 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day. A man of the same age should have 3 cups. Eating a 1-cup serving of canned vegetables would fulfill nearly half of a woman's vegetable recommendation and a third of a man's daily vegetable intake. When you're choosing canned vegetables, try to include ones from each of the five subgroups: dark green vegetables like collard greens, beans or peas, starchy vegetables such as corn, red and orange vegetables like tomatoes and other vegetables such as beets.
Canned vegetables lose some of their vitamin C and B vitamin content while they are being processed, but canned vegetables are not significantly less nutritious than fresh vegetables that have been picked and stored for a period of time, says "New York Times" writer Anahad O'Connor. A study published in the scientific journal "Plos One" in 2013 reported that, in many instances, canned vegetables offer comparable nutrition to fresh or frozen vegetables. Using canned vegetables to reach your daily vegetable requirement is healthier than not consuming vegetables at all.
Sodium in Canned Vegetables
Use low- or no-sodium canned vegetables whenever possible. Many canned vegetables, such as green beans, can contain over 300 milligrams of sodium per cup. By contrast, brands that have no added salt may contain less than 10 milligrams of sodium. If you can't locate low-sodium varieties, drain the liquid out of the can, place the vegetables in a colander and rinse them thoroughly before using. Doing this can decrease the sodium content per serving by over 40 percent.
- The Medscape Journal of Medicine: Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Adolescents and Adults in the United States: Percentage Meeting Individualized Recommendations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: State-Specific Trends in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults - United States, 2000-2009
- The New York Times: Really? The Claim: Fresh Produce Has More Nutrients Than Canned
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: What Counts as a Cup of Vegetables?
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: How Many Vegetables are Needed Daily or Weekly?
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: What Foods are in the Vegetable Group?
- The New York Times: Really? The Claim: Fresh Produce has More Nutrients Than Canned
- Plos One: Vegetable Cost Metrics Show That Potatoes and Beans Provide Most Nutrients per Penny
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 11056, Beans, Snap, Green, Canned, Regular Pack, Drained Solids
- Mealtime.org: The Truth and Sodium and Canned Foods
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