AMERICAN PIZZA COMMUNITY PROMOTES TOMATO BENEFITS DURING NUTRITIONAL AWARENESS MONTH
Encourages Pizza Lovers to Celebrate “Make It Red Day” on March 15th with Extra Sauce on Your Pie
Washington, D.C., March 2, 2016 – The American Pizza Community (APC), is participating in Nutritional Awareness Month with its own campaign to highlight the healthy benefits of tomatoes. On March 15th, pizza lovers everywhere will be encouraged to order extra sauce on their pizza as part of “Make It Red Day” (#MakeItRedDay), a celebration to consume more tomatoes for a nutrient-healthy diet.
Tomatoes, and tomato sauce in particular, contain important anti-inflammatory nutrients including a powerful antioxidant called “lycopene” which research has linked to providing many health benefits including lowering the levels of certain cancers such as prostate cancer in men. Other health benefits of eating tomatoes:
- promotes strong bones
- protects against oxidative stress in women
- lowers the risk of obesity
- lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease
- keeps blood pressure healthy
- promotes healthy eyes and skin found from Vitamins A and C
(Source: Medical News Today, February 2016)
“We want people to know that pizza can be a healthy meal option,” said Lynn Liddle, Chair of the American Pizza Community. “And tomatoes are a significant contributor to a healthy diet,” she continued. Every slice of pizza contributes to almost 2,000 mcg of lycopene, based on 1 tablespoon of sauce per serving. When tomatoes are cooked, as they are for pizza or pasta sauce, the lycopene levels are higher and easier for the body to absorb.
For more information on the health benefits of tomatoes, visit tomatowellness.com.
Join APC’s ‘eat more tomatoes campaign’ on Twitter with #HealthyPizza on #MakeItRedDay.
The American Pizza Community is a coalition of the nation’s large and small pizza companies, operators, franchisees, vendors, suppliers and other entities that make up the American pizza industry. Collectively, they represent nearly 73,000 pizzerias around the country.
Current members include Blackjack Pizza, Breadeaux Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen, CiCi's Pizza, Domino’s Pizza, Figaro’s Italian Pizza, Godfather’s Pizza, Hungry Howie’s, Hunt Brothers Pizza, the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association, Little Caesars, Nick-N-Willy’s, Papa John’s Pizza, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Papa's Pizza To-Go, Papa Romano's Pizza, Pieology, Pizza Factory, Pizza Schmizza, and Sam & Louie's Pizza. Supplier partners include Coca-Cola, Leprino Foods Company, Middleby Marshall, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, PepsiCo and Tyson Foods. Affiliate partners include the Consortium for Common Food Names, the National Pork Producers Council and the Tomato Products Wellness Council.