Elite Italian athletes Gabriele Detti, Elena Bertocchi, and Simone Giannelli have just wrapped up a promotional campaign championing the nutritional and versatile benefits of California Prunes, which play an active role in preparation for their respective training and sporting events.
The link up with the California Prune Board (CPB) and the cream of Italian water sports and volleyball is part of a drive by the CPB to showcase how shelf-stable prunes can be eaten by people of every age and every stage of fitness as a nutritional snack or even as a versatile cooking ingredient.
Packed with fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals, California Prunes have long been renowned for the role they play in maintaining healthy bowels. Prunes are also naturally high in potassium, which contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function, and have a low glycaemic index thanks to the composition of their carbohydrates, which makes them ideal for workouts involving prolonged exertion.
Working with leading Italian athletes like Gabriele, Elena and Simone has helped us to demonstrate the benefits California Prunes can have as part of a balanced diet
Diver Elena Bertocchi, swimmer Gabriele Detti and 2022 World Champion volleyball player Simone Giannelli have been sharing the benefits of consuming California Prunes as a pre and post-training snack and ingredient across their social media channels. For athletes constantly training at high intensity, prunes are also an easy way to increase the consumption of vitamin K and manganese, both of which play a role in the maintenance of normal bones.
Dr Annamaria Acquaviva, dietitian and nutritionist for the CPB, explained: "Playing sports and maintaining an active lifestyle is very important for overall wellbeing and maintaining healthy bones. California Prunes are an excellent resource for providing the important nutrients needed to both maintain bone density and prevent bone loss as well as other vitamins and minerals that contribute to overall health.”
Esther Ritson-Elliott, Director of International Marketing and Communications for the CPB added: “Working with leading Italian athletes like Gabriele, Elena and Simone has helped us to demonstrate the benefits California Prunes can have as part of a balanced diet as well as their versatility in use as a snack and an ingredient. Italy is a key market for the California Prune Board, and we’ve welcomed the opportunity to work with all three athletes to showcase our premium prunes.”