Everyone knows fruits and vegetables are good for you! So really, no matter how you look at it, adding them to your diet can only be a benefit! A common misconception is that frozen is not stacking up to its fresh counterpart in terms of nutrition. This very misconception is hindering many from potentially adding more produce to their diet in the most convenient of ways! Well then, what’s the ongoing debate about fresh and frozen? Just eat more produce already!!
Did you know frozen produce might actually be better for you? You don’t need to take our word for it, a countless number of researches have devoted hours of time to this question and essentially the answer. The quest to find the best is an ongoing one! But contrary to popular belief you too will be pleasantly surprised with the results from the June 2017 issue of the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. Here’s what their experts had to say "Our research shows that frozen fruits and vegetables are nutritionally equal to — and, in some cases, better than — their fresh-stored counterparts," UGA* professor Dr. Ronald Pegg said in a news release. "In particular, Vitamin A was greater in frozen fruits and vegetables than select fresh-stored fruits and vegetables."
Be conscious of country of origin, and seasonality when shopping for your produce!
Not all produce is available all year long, which is why fresh fruits and veggies often cost more out of season, and the quality is variable. So, if you’re committed to fresh produce have you ever wondered how it can survive days on a truck without going bad, and still look fresh on the grocery store shelf for some time to follow? Well here’s how it’s done; fresh produce is often picked before it’s ripe (before acquiring its full nutrient potential) and is left to ripen along its way. But, once a produce is picked, it starts to lose nutrients.
When it comes to frozen, farmers have the luxury of leaving them to fully ripen and only picking them when they are ready and chock full of nutrients. These little gems are soon after flash frozen, freezing their nutritional goodness in time! So, when they sit in their ice box refrigerated truck, their nutrients are actually being preserved! This creates less waste from farm to table while keeping their pure goodness for you to enjoy!
*University of Georgia