While it is true that fresh fruits and vegetables should always be preferred in your diets, Frozen or canned vegetables and fruits can be quite convenient in your kitchen. The big question is which is a better option; frozen or canned vegetables? While fresh veggies or fruits are always considered healthy, there may be some cases when greater health benefits can be offered by canned and frozen food items than the fresh ones.
Fresh vegetables and fruits act as a nutritional powerhouse for having healthy diets. Fresh fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, minerals and vitamins. They also help in protecting your bodies against harmful diseases. Though some sort of health-related risks can occur due to the use of pesticides, they can be resolved easily while choosing produces that are organically certified.
If the availability of fresh vegetables is a problem or is economically not feasible, a good alternative is to go for frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. While both these alternatives are readily available and convenient, you may be curious to know which has a better nutritional value.
Canning
It is a process to extend the shelf life of all those food items that are easily perishable. Today, it is easy to enjoy and explore your favorite vegetables and fruits all through the year due to the process of canning. So, you need not wait for a particular season to enjoy your preferred fruits or vegetables.
A study conducted in 1997 inferred that the fiber content is not affected when a vegetable or fruit is canned. That means it is possible to have the same content similar to frozen or fresh vegetables. It was also found that when the process of heating is applied, the solubility is increased, and that is good for your body. You may also note that it is good if you face problems such as bloating or gas post consumption. The same study also concluded that major types of vitamins such as Vitamin C, carotenes, and Vitamin A can be retained while heat is applied during canning.
Typically, vegetables are canned when their quality is at peak so that it is easier to maintain and capture the nutrition and taste. Many-a-times, fresh vegetables or fruits may be shipped and it may take many weeks to transfer them from a local market to a supermarket in the city. There are chances that chemicals have been used so that the spoilage process is slowed down for a fast sale. On the other hand, if freshly produced vegetables or fruits are directly processed for canning, the heat applied to it can destroy harmful microorganisms that can cause illness or food spoilage.
During the process of canning, the food has to be heated uniformly in a can. But there is no requirement of preservatives and it is possible to retain the nutritional value, texture and taste of the food. The addition of salt or sodium chloride is not for preserving it but is meant for adding flavor. At times, an addition of calcium chloride is made to foods such as tomatoes so that the desired shape can be maintained. It can be a great plus point if you have been facing difficulty in meeting your daily calcium requirements.
Frozen vegetables and fruits
The FDA regards frozen vegetables as equivalent to fresh vegetables in terms of the health benefits and essential nutrients in one of its reports published in 1998. It is a process when vegetables are selected in their peak condition. They are blanched and then frozen nutrients get locked in fast. Ideally, the nutrients in a vegetable start getting lost immediately after getting picked. If the processing of frozen vegetable is done quickly immediate after harvesting, only 20 percent of their original nutritional value is lost. Dieticians consider frozen vegetables to be almost as good as fresh ones and even better at times.
Fresh peas versus frozen peas
It is not possible for all of you to have a garden and grow peas in them for the entire year. So opting for frozen peas is a great alternative. On the other hand, frozen peas are selected and frozen when they are totally ripe. The freezing process halts the transformation process of sugar into starch so that they will have the same sweet taste in them.
