How fresh are your ‘fresh’ vegetables?
Eating vegetables is a win, regardless of whether they are fresh or frozen. However, there may be some points to consider when choosing between the two. Contrary to popular belief, the nutritional value may actually be lower in fresh compared to frozen vegetables! Let us explain…
The major factor to consider here is what processes actually occur between the farm and your plate?
- First of all, most vegetables are picked before they are ripe (so they can ripen during transportation), which gives them less time to develop their full nutritional content.
- On top of this, produce will spend days to weeks in transit before arriving at your local supermarket which will further impair the nutritional value due to oxidation.
- At the supermarket, vegetables may spend another few days on the shelf before being stored in your fridge at home for who knows how long! This further exacerbates oxidation causing loss of nutrients such as vitamin C.
What about frozen vegetables though?
- Vegetables destined to be frozen are picked at peak ripeness when they are most nutritious.
- They are also typically snap frozen within a few hours to prevent nutrient degradation.
- Blanching, the process before freezing, can result in the loss of some B-vitamins and vitamin C.
- Nutrient losses are minor but will increase the longer an item is stored in the freezer.
What’s our consensus though?
Simple, eat your vegetables, whether they come from fresh or frozen sources. Consuming a variety of vegetable types should be your primary goal. However, hopefully we’ve convinced you that there’s no need to avoid the freezer section when looking for vegetables!