Is Fresh Better than Canned or Frozen?
We’ve all heard that it’s important for us to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. When it comes to produce, freshness is almost always the number one thing companies tout. They even help give us visuals of orange tree fields and rows of corn. They do everything they can to make us feel like our produce was just picked from the tree and brought directly to the store for us to consume. So fresh must be the best, right?
The truth is fruits and vegetables don’t have to be fresh to be beneficial. Frozen and canned are just as good!
Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh since they are usually processed immediately after harvest. This helps them retain most of their nutrient value. They also tend to be less expensive and more convenient because you can store them for longer periods of time.
When purchasing canned fruit, pick varieties that are canned in water, 100 percent juice or in its own juices. Many varieties of fruit come packed in light or heavy syrup, which equates to added sugars. Choose canned vegetables without added salts, labeled “no salt added” or “low sodium.” Be mindful that cans marked “reduced sodium” are not necessarily sodium-free. Draining and rinsing canned beans and vegetables can reduce the sodium content as well.
You would be surprised at how many varieties of fruits and vegetables are stocked at your local grocery store in the frozen and canned section. Next time you are at the store check out what is available!
