Should You Buy Fresh or Frozen Vegetables?

Fresh produce is a superior choice for anyone when available. Eaten by itself or as a side dish, natural food tastes simply incredible. Add in the benefit given to local farmers and the advantages are hard to argue.

Our bodies need nutrients desperately, especially during the long winter months. Unfortunately, this is the time when people are most likely to switch to canned food. Food in a can is notorious for losing many of its essential nutrients but are still very beneficial for diners.

Consider These Facts About Fresh or Frozen Vegetables

When your first freeze vegetables, there’s a quick moment when they are blanched in scalding water to get rid of bacteria.

This process always causes a bit of loss of water soluble nutrients. Vitamins, like B and C, are quick to break down. This degradation is the reason some companies have taken to flash-freezing before packing. This scientific process will lock in many nutrients, so it’s not all a complete loss.

Farmers love picking vegetables and fruits freshly to send directly to grocery stores.  Timing is everything because they need to pick them before the peak and decline happen. They’re going to have significantly fewer minerals and vitamins when this happens. With some of them, like bananas, you can wait for them to become outwardly ripe. Patience helps a bit, but the nutrient level will not be the same as if they were left to ripen naturally.

There’s no way around some amount of nutrient degradation, so there’s no need to worry too much.

Long Distance Travels Makes Nutrients Degrade

Light from the sun that travels long distances to its final destination is even more damaging to vegetables and fruits. Exposure to high heat and light degrade the potent nutrients that make this natural bounty such a healthy option.

Traveling long distances (which increases each year thanks to improved transportation options) is also a cause for a degradation of those essential nutrients mentioned earlier.

You will still most likely want to go with fresh produce. Freshly picked vegetables taste better and maintain the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

For most people, frozen foods are more than adequate during the off-season. Fruits and vegetables so good for you that even if you have to get them frozen, it’s worth it! This debate wages on because fresh or frozen vegetables remain a crucial part of people’s diets. Most individuals who eat for health crave the highest amount of nutrients they can find. Fresh certainly has advantages, but to get the best benefit, it’s important that the food doesn’t travel far before you buy it.

Vegetables are one food that you can always eat more of if you want to replace any lost nutrients. When dealing with nutrient-rich and calorie dense food, just eat more if you’re afraid you missed a percentage of nutrients due to how the food was handled or transported.

It’s always a smart decision to eat healthier. Learn as much as you can about the healthiest ways to prepare food and it will help you on your journey.