For flavour and texture, I’ll admit, nothing beats fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Bought locally, these foods are picked when ripe and can make it from field to table in a matter of days. This is also the time when nutrient levels are highest, so it really can’t get much better.
Fresh foods bought out of season, that have some distance to travel, are picked while still underripe so they can ripen during their journey to your local grocery store. Nature has colour-coded our nutrients for us…the the deep greens, blues & purples, vivid reds and bright whites…all of these are indicators of antioxidant content. Underripe fruits and vegetables without those vibrant colours don’t generally stack up quite as well.
So where does frozen and canned produce come in? Fruits and vegetables used for these processes are picked at the height of the growing season, when they are perfectly ripe. Frozen produce is flash frozen right away – often the same day it is picked. This preserves nutritional value and ensures that when ready for use, it retains optimal flavour and texture. Canned produce may lose some nutritional value during processing (Vitamin C is unstable to heat, so some loss is likely to occur) but many other nutrients are still retained.
Frozen and canned produce has many other benefits beyond nutritional value, the first one being convenience. With all the cleaning and cutting done, it makes getting fruits and vegetables to the table each day a much less daunting task. Who doesn’t want to save time in the kitchen?
Frozen and canned produce has still other benefits as well: they allow Canadians to have access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables year-round; in remote areas of the country, where fresh produce is limited, they may be the most practical choice; and sometimes it may be more affordable to choose them over fresh produce.
The one concern with canned produce is the additional sugar or salt that may be added. Rinse veggies well or, better still, choose vegetables with no added salt. And try to choose fruits canned in water, juice, or light syrup.
So if you’ve been avoiding canned and frozen produce because you thought it wouldn’t be as healthy (or tasty) I suggest you give it another look. Chances are you’ll find a few new staples for your grocery list.
Winner of "Best Alternative Medicine/Healing" in 2020
All Rights Reserved | Heal From Your Past
Built With Love By The Awesome People at Flowerpot Marketing