It’s probably safe to say that most of us have been taught to believe something is better when it’s “fresh” than when it’s “frozen”. But when it comes to vegetables, that’s not necessarily true. In fact, the frozen vegetables vs. fresh comparison yield some surprising facts which can serve you well if you know about them. So let’s revisit some “untruths” about frozen vegetables as well as some great reasons to use them even more.
The Frozen Vegetables vs. Fresh Comparison
Here are five reasons to consider using more frozen vegetables and fruits:
1)Untruth – “Frozen Veggies are less healthy” Actually, frozen veggies and fruits may be just as, if not more nutritious. When farmers and growers freeze these items, they tend to freeze them when they are at their peak nutritional value and ripeness. Fresh fruits and veggies that we see at the grocery store, or sometimes at the local farmer’s market, are usually picked when they aren’t ripe to allow for transportation time and processing by the time they reach your grocery store. This means fresh are picked before their peak, giving you less nutrients for your dollar.
2)Untruth – ” Frozen foods have preservatives or additives.” Actually – frozen foods are typically cleaned using nothing other than boiling water, and since they are frozen, no preservatives are needed. While you should read labels and watch out for veggies and fruits that have extra sugar or salt, most products don’t feature preservatives or additives at all.
3)Untruth – “Frozen foods don’t fit into an organic diet.” Not true! There are excellent organic options available for frozen fruits and vegetables, and are becoming more common. Most major grocery stores now stock organic versions of frozen veggies under common organic labels such as Full Circle, Cascadian Farms, Wild Harvest and even mainstream vendors such as Birds Eye are coming out with their own organic offerings. They often don’t cost that much more than regular and these insecticide-free versions of frozen vegetables and fruits give you perhaps even more nutritional value at the end of the day.
4)Truth – Frozen is almost always less costly than fresh. Many stores have frozen vegetables on sale for as little as a buck a bag during their weekly sales.
5)Truth – Less waste, more convenience. Since frozen veggies come ready to cook, you save time in washing and prep, and you can take out just what you need and put the rest in the freezer for later. If re-wrapped tightly, they can last quite a while and still taste good. Not so for fresh, as we all know from having to throw out (or compost) what goes bad!
So, the next time you are in the store, consider adding some frozen veggies to your cart. At The Dinner Daily, you’ll find we call for frozen vegetables in many of our recipes. It’s one more way we keep costs down and make dinners easier. And most importantly, it is still a nutritious choice for your family.
Sources: How Healthy are Frozen Vegetables? Livestrong.com, www.livestrong.com/article/348271-how-healthy-are-frozen-vegetables,
Fresh vs. Frozen Vegetables: Are we giving up nutrition for convenience? EatingWell.com http://www.eatingwell.com/article/290575/fresh-vs-frozen-vegetables-are-we-giving-up-nutrition-for-convenience/
Interested in making your dinners easier, less costly and healthier? Learn more about The Dinner Daily.
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