Fresh or frozen -- which veggies are best?
Categories: Nutrition & Supplements
When you grab your veggies in the grocery store, do you go for fresh, frozen, or canned? If you grab frozen or canned vegetables, you may be onto something -- these options tend to deliver even more nutrients than their fresh counterparts.
All forms of produce are low in calories and contain fiber and phytochemicals -- plant compounds that provide varied health benefits. And when it comes to fiber, fresh is best. But for plentiful nutrients, already-cooked produce is tops. Cooking makes nutrients more readily available to the body, and the time fresh produce spends sitting on shelves depletes their nutrients.
There are some downsides to frozen and canned foods, however, like additives you won't find in the fresh produce aisles. So be careful. Look for low-sodium items, avoid all cream and cheese sauces, and steer clear of any label that reads "sweetened."
All forms of produce are low in calories and contain fiber and phytochemicals -- plant compounds that provide varied health benefits. And when it comes to fiber, fresh is best. But for plentiful nutrients, already-cooked produce is tops. Cooking makes nutrients more readily available to the body, and the time fresh produce spends sitting on shelves depletes their nutrients.
There are some downsides to frozen and canned foods, however, like additives you won't find in the fresh produce aisles. So be careful. Look for low-sodium items, avoid all cream and cheese sauces, and steer clear of any label that reads "sweetened."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
arlin 1-24-2008 @ 8:16PM
This article just blew me away. After 55 years of hearing that fresh is much better than canned or frozen, I just stopped dead in my tracks.
I will go to the other links to check out the other comments. You got my attention so I will be reading more on the subject.
Reply
marcie0305 11-22-2007 @ 10:18PM
Hi Jacki! Can you help me understand this statement:
"Cooking makes nutrients more readily available to the body, and the time fresh produce spends sitting on shelves depletes their nutrients."
I have been doing research on fresh vs. canned (and cooked) and there is almost always a great depletion of vitamins in canned and cooked food in comparison to fresh. I am using the USDA nutrition database for my research (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search)
so the "shelf life" of things in their database is unknown.
I think things like phytochemicals are probably also depleted, but those are not measured on food labels (or in the database).
In any case, curious about your thoughts :)
~Marcie
http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com/
Reply
Jacki 11-22-2007 @ 10:34PM
Marcie,
Gosh, I wish I was more of an expert on this topic than I am. I was merely summarizing an article I found at:
www.nbc4.com/health/14554498/detail.html
Take a look and see what you think.
Thanks for your thought-provoking comment!
Jacki
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