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| Deep Thaw
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| The Cold War has officially ended. Relations between consumers and frozen produce have never been warmer. Fruits and vegetables don’t need to be fresh to be nutritious.
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Choosing between fresh produce or frozen and canned was once a no-brainer.
Who wouldn’t opt for delicious market-fresh strawberries when faced with wan frozen fruit in a bag? Now the choice isn’t quite so clear, however, thanks to the development of processes such as flash freezing.
The gap between fresh produce and packaged food has been greatly reduced, providing consumers with
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more options than ever before. Favorite foods can be eaten all year long, without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
You can feel just as confident about nutritional value when you’re serving frozen peas for dinner as you do when you’re snacking on fresh carrots.
Any research into the subject of fresh produce versus frozen points conclusively to the comparable merits of each, providing that processing occurs immediately after harvest.
“I agree that the frozen product is equivalent to fresh depending on how the consumer cooks it,” says Fiona Pelly, lecturer in Sport Science (Sports Nutrition) at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore, Queensland Australia.
“The canning process, however, may affect the nutrient value of the food. For example, some vitamins may be lost into the liquid component, which is then tossed away and goes uneaten. The canned product may also contain added sodium. The fiber structure is also altered during canning.”
Ultimately the nutritional value of produce is dependent on its handling, regardless of its status on purchase.
Fresh vegetables left languishing in the fridge contain fewer nutrients than either frozen or canned ones, according to the following recommendation from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Complete Book of Nutrition: “Fresh produce that sits unused in the refrigerator for too long will lose taste and nutrition. Therefore, it is best to shop for vegetables twice weekly or use canned and frozen vegetables.”
In an ideal world, people would only consume fresh produce, a virtual impossibility given the dictates of modern life and the obstacles imposed by geography Many lifestyles foster poor eating habits—in which case, fruits and vegetables of any kind are a welcome addition.
Asked to summarize the results of his research into the merits of fresh, canned and frozen produce, Dr.Geoffrey Skurray, associate professor, Centre for Advanced Food Research, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, New South Wales Australia answers, “As long as short times and high temperatures are used for blanching little losses occur. Large amounts of water remove nutrients. Microwaving or steaming is best. Freezing must be rapid soon after blanching. You will still get nine percent loss but this can also occur with storage of fresh foods at non-ideal temperatures.”
Flash freezing provides consumers with the next best thing to fresh produce.
The technique is at its most impressive with vegetables that are processed directly after harvest. Flavor, texture and nutrients are essentially locked-in, without employing any preservatives.
Unfortunately similar claims can’t be made about canning.
“The high sterilization of canning temperatures means almost all of the heat labile vitamins are lost,” comments Dr. Skurray. “These are vitamins C, B1, B2 and folate.”
Insistence on fresh produce can be detrimental given the seasonal nature of fruits and vegetables. Rather than just eat what’s available, you can add diversity to your diet by consuming frozen and canned foods.
“In Australia we have access to a wide range of fruit and vegetables all year round,” notes Pelly, “however, in other countries it would be counterproductive to not incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into the diet by using frozen or canned products.”
So feel free to indulge your taste for frozen corn, or canned beans, a couple of welcome alternatives to cello carrots—any lingering prejudice you might have about produce that’s been granted an extended shelf life is unwarranted.
What’s In Store:
It may surprise you to learn that asparagus loses half its vitamin C content if it’s left at room temperature for any appreciable length of time. To derive full value from produce, learn the correct storage procedure for each category:
- Separate fruits from vegetables.
- Vegetables should be placed in the refrigerator crisper often in a perforated plastic bag to prevent dehydration.
- Leave fruit at room temperature to ripen.
- Root vegetables must be kept in a cool, dark place.
- Wrap leafy vegetables and asparagus stems in damp paper towels.
- Keep frozen vegetables in their original packaging.
- Consume frozen vegetables within eight months of purchase.
- Store canned vegetables in a cool, dry area for upwards of a year.
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