The Tomato Products Wellness Council and SCAN Announce Winners for the Great Tomato...

The Tomato Products Wellness Council and SCAN Announce Winners for the Great
Tomato Tip-Off Contest!

SCOTTDALE, Ariz., April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Who better to provide
healthy eating tips than a group of skilled dietetics professionals from the
Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN) Dietetic Practice Group
of the American Dietetic Association? Such was the genius behind the Great
Tomato Tip-Off Contest!, a partnership effort between the Tomato Products
Wellness Council (TPWC) and SCAN which encouraged dietitians to send in their
best tips for promoting heart healthy tomato products into the diet. Tomato
products (paste, sauce, diced, whole or any other form of canned or processed
tomato products, including low-sodium options) contain an array of nutrients
like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and lycopene that can protect the
heart from disease in a number of ways, making them a perfect fit for a heart
healthy diet. The final selection of winning tips was based on originality,
practicality, consumer appeal, nutritional value, and affordability. The
winners were announced at The Seven Wonders of Wellness SCAN Symposium in
Scottsdale, Arizona on April 18, 2009. Winning tomato tips will be published
on the TPWC Web site, as well as in upcoming tomato wellness materials.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090417/DC01034LOGO)

1st PLACE: Colleen Kvaska, MA, RD, CDE teaches nutrition courses at California
State University, Fullerton and Fullerton College:

Toss diced, canned Tomatoes with jalapenos and black beans for a satisfying
salsa.

To save time, use canned, chopped tomatoes in tacos and tostadas.

Pour tomato sauce over sliced Meatloaf, add sprigs of parsley for eye appeal.

Add canned tomatoes to canned soups to boost Vitamin C and potassium.

Toss drained, diced tomatoes with freshly chopped basil, spoon on to grilled
fish.

Pour canned, diced tomatoes over chicken breasts, sprinkle with parmesan
cheese and bake.

Scatter Italian seasoned, canned tomatoes on a baked frozen pizza for a fresh
taste.

Add diced, drained, canned tomatoes to cooked Spanish rice or couscous.

2nd PLACE:Dominique Adair, MS, RD lives in Santa Monica, California, and
directs Adair Fitness & Nutrition, a company which aims to educate and empower
individuals and corporations to make health-supporting choices through
nutrition and exercise:

Make Tuesday the day you make sure to eat at least three tomato products. As a
reminder of all the wonderful nutrients in tomatoes (vitamin C, lycopene, and
other health promoting disease fighting compounds) on Tuesdays, make sure you
eat at least three tomato products. Add tomato paste to soups, stews and
casseroles; drink tomato juice for breakfast; take a spoonful of diced
tomatoes and add them to a wrap or sandwich; add extra tomato sauce to your
pizza slice. Get creative -- if it's Tuesday, it's tomato day.

3rd PLACE:Siri Zimmerman, BS is an RD-eligible student finishing up her
Masters of Science in Public Health Nutrition at Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio, in May 2009:

While you are trying to brainstorm ways to eat healthy tomatoes, think
cross-culturally. Mexican food is known for spicy salsas, containing garlic,
lime and cilantro. Italians create traditional dishes with elegant spaghetti
sauces, flavorful pizza sauce, and tomato bruschetta. Some African stews made
in slow cookers have a tomato and peanut butter base. Always keep cans of
tomatoes in stock at home. When looking for a new twist on dinner, pick a
tomato dish from another culture and innovatively add your own blend of spices
and food combinations. Be creative, because it never hurts to try something
new!

The Tomato Products Wellness Council is an organization of tomato growers,
processors and well-known brands working to create awareness of the health
benefits of tomato products by providing industry-wide leadership,
communications and scientific research.

If you would like additional information or would like to schedule an
interview, please contact Rodger Wasson (831) 254-5405 or
rw@tomatowellness.com.

SOURCE Tomato Products Wellness Council

Rodger Wasson of the Tomato Products Wellness Council, +1-831-254-5405,
rw@tomatowellness.com