By now, it should be clear that fresh is the way to go when it comes to food produce, especially vegetables. Frozen vegetables is not that far behind. While we should be wary of canned food in general, canned vegetables have the obvious advantage of longer shelf life. Your main priority when picking canned vegetables should be whether the can contains BPA, and avoid acidic produce such as tomatoes if that is the case.

1. FitnessFlash.org
S h o u l d w e e a t

2. Should we eat frozen or canned vegetables?
1. Fresh vegetables
2. Frozen vegetables
3. Canned vegetables

3. Fresh vegetables1

4. Fruit or vegetable is classified as fresh if it’s either “postharvest ripened” (if it
ripens during transport) or “vine ripened” (if it is picked and sold ripe, as at a farm’s
fresh market).
Logic dictates that vine-ripened produce should be more nutritious, since it has
more time to absorb nutrients from the soil. In some cases, this is true. However,
plants absorb a large percentage of the most crucial minerals during their early
stages of growth, and fruits and vegetables can still synthesize macronutrients and
micronutrients during postharvest ripening.
In fact, several studies suggest that postharvest-ripened produce is nutritionally
equivalent to vine-ripened produce, and in some cases, possess even better
nutritional value. There really is no straight answer regarding this topic, as
nutritional content of either kind of produce will depend on factors such as soil,
season, weather, farming method, and storage conditions and duration.

5. Frozen vegetables2

6. Frozen produce is generally already fully vine ripened, and they undergo only
minimal processing. Most vegetables and some fruits undergo blanching in hot
water for a few minutes before freezing. This is done in order to inactivate enzymes
that may cause unfavorable changes in color, smell, flavor, and nutritional value.
Although blanching can leach out minerals and break down biomolecules (such as
vitamins), it has been found that postharvest-ripened produce and blanched frozen
produce have very similar nutritional content overall. The main impact of blanching
seems to be on taste, as certain fruits and vegetables taste better when they are
just-picked.

7. Canned vegetables3

8. Unlike frozen vegetables, canned vegetables usually undergo a lot more
processing. Aside from blanching, additional processes such as placement of
syrup, addition of salt, and the introduction of additives are also common.
Not only do these processes potentially carry health risks, but several forms of
processing can also break down essential nutrients, in some cases almost entirely.
Additional risk can be incurred through cans, some of which are lined with
bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical associated with heightened risk of cancer. Worse,
both the acidity of the produce and the heat from sterilization can cause BPA to
leak into what you eat.

9. By now, it should be clear that fresh is the way to go when it comes to food produce,
especially vegetables. Frozen vegetables is not that far behind. While we should be
wary of canned food in general, canned vegetables have the obvious advantage of
longer shelf life. Your main priority when picking canned vegetables should be
whether the can contains BPA, and avoid acidic produce such as tomatoes if that is
the case.

10. THANK YOU!