Which is healthiest? Fresh, frozen, or canned veggies?

[April]

I've read that by the time conventional "fresh" produce makes it to the store, it has lost much of its vitamin content. I've heard that frozen vegetables are frozen almost immediately after being cut, and therefore they might have higher vitamin values than 'fresh' produce. But nearly all frozen vegetables one buys from the store have thawed at one point and been re-frozen. A friend of mine thinks this decreases the vitamin content. I don't know anything about the preparation of canned veggies before purchase. I don't know what to do in order to get the most nutritional value from my veggies. Do I need to make a trip to the grocer every other day for fresh produce?

[Brandon]

As far as the choice between frozen and canned, I actually prefer canned to frozen. I'd rather have a can of diced tomatoes than buy a fresh tomato at the local grocer's which isn't even red. Most of the time they are a pale excuse for orange! :)
I'm glad that you made this post, April. I'd also appreciate some insight into this.

[Foxy]

If you can get fresh from the farm produce (1-2 days after harvest) then fresh is best.

If you can't, or you can but don't use the produce for a few more days, frozen quickly becomes more nutritious and healthier than "fresh", as the frozen foods are usually harvested and frozen rapidly, maintaining more nutrients than old, withered or unripe when picked "fresh" produce.

There have been threads started about this...I remember one from late last year :)

[Foxy]

I don't know what to do in order to get the most nutritional value from my veggies. Do I need to make a trip to the grocer every other day for fresh produce?


:yes: That would be ideal!

[Kiz]

I use all three. I like fresh best, buying it every other day as you suggest. Tinned and frozen are good for times when you don't have time to get to the fruit and veg store, or for things like tomatoes in the off-season.

[April]

If you can get fresh from the farm produce (1-2 days after harvest) then fresh is best.

If you can't, or you can but don't use the produce for a few more days, frozen quickly becomes more nutritious and healthier than "fresh", as the frozen foods are usually harvested and frozen rapidly, maintaining more nutrients than old, withered or unripe when picked "fresh" produce.

There have been threads started about this...I remember one from late last year :)


But what about frozen veggies that thaw during the stocking process, and then are re-frozen. Are they still as nutritious?

[Brandon]

^^^ yes, and what about canned?

[Lothar M Kirsch]

Canned foods aren't alive anymore. Usually I eat fresh fruits/veggies as my access improved with long shopping hours. I use canned foods only with beans as I'm too lazy to soak garbanzos and the like. But I rinse them thoroughly before I cook them.

[Gracie]

Frozen foods shouldn't thaw during the brief time it takes to stock the freezers. If they thaw and refreeze, there is a danger of bacteria growing in the food. Also, the quality of the food (taste & texture) are decreased when food thaws and refreezes. I think you would be able to tell the difference, and ask the store for a refund.

[April]

Hmm....See, it's my friend that works at Wild Oats that says the frozen veggies all thaw at some point before being sold, so I'm not sure I would tell the difference. I'll have to do my own test at home, as best I can.

[MollyGoat]

Well, that's illegal, but I wouldn't be that surprised if they did it anyway.

I can't imagine anyone eating canned vegetables, except tomatoes. Yich!

I buy all fresh vegetables because I like them better. I buy a lot of frozen fruit, though. I think they're comparable in nutritive value.

[Kiz]

Wild Oats (and other companies) really shouldn't let their vegetables thaw before selling. As an above poster said, their quality declines and there is a risk of bacterial growth.

[4EverGrounded]

AFAIK, if there is a thawing, it's very minimal. Stores don't really want to hand out refunds left over right because of thawed & refrozen produce. They certainly wouldn't want to hand out money left over right for lawsuits brought by people that got sick on re-frozen produce.

But maybe someone who actually works in a grocery store could tell us more about frozen foods handling procedures.

Canned is only good in canned tomatoes and canned beans. Everything else is not worth it either in price or nutrition.

Frozen in a lot of ways is better than fresh. A lot of produce takes long truck, train and sometimes boat trip to go from field to store. During that transport, nutrients are lost. Frozen veggies and fruits and plucked and flash frozen within the same day, keeping most of the nutritional content and most of the flavour they orginally had.

Fresh is better than frozen but only if you know it didn't travel more than 24 hours to get to you. If it made a longer trip than that then frozen is your better bet.

[eggplant]

I've read that canned tomatoes are more nutritious than fresh (I forget why). Other than tomatoes, apparently canned should be the last resort, with frozen being a better option. I buy organic frozen corn, peas and fruit for smoothies at TJ's. Fresh local and/or organic produce is probably the best option though for getting the most out of your produce.

[Brandon]

I've read that canned tomatoes are more nutritious than fresh (I forget why). Other than tomatoes, apparently canned should be the last resort, with frozen being a better option. I buy organic frozen corn, peas and fruit for smoothies at TJ's. Fresh local and/or organic produce is probably the best option though for getting the most out of your produce.

I prefer tomatoes canned because the "fresh" ones are barely even orange and taste like chalky mush to me. The canned ones are red and taste much better to me. Not sure about nutrition differences between them.

[DelTremens]

I prefer canned tomatoes when tomatoes are not in season, and the only ones I can get are the mealy, hothouse, ripened with gas kind.

When they *are* in season, I always prefer fresh. Yum.

[ynaffit]

I've read that canned tomatoes are more nutritious than fresh (I forget why).
i don't know about more nutritious, but the antioxidant lycopene is more available from cooked/processed tomato products, so canned tomatoes are a better source of lycopene. however, they're likely to be lower in vitamin c, which is destroyed by heat.

[milo]

Well, luckily...i DO work at a grocery store. I was in the dairy/frozen department for quite a while. When it comes to stocking frozen, thawing is quite minimal. The time it takes for a cart to be loaded, brought out, and stocked up is not quite long. Very rarely will a cart sit out for a while. Besides the occasional careless employee, this will rarely ever happen! I know this because our store is a small chain. About 4 stores. Bigger grocery stores are much more serious about this kind of stuff. The worst thing ive ever seen was a pallet of frozen sitting out for about an hour. It wasnt very thawed out still, but yeah. Just so you have an example. That was a one time thing.

So dont worry about being thawed, that guy wasnt necessarily right. It will be very rare to encounter frozen that has been thawed out and re-frozen. As it IS illegal, and it is poor practice for any grocery store. Even on the way to the store the pallets are stored in a very cold cooler truck.
:)

[remilard]

Hmm....See, it's my friend that works at Wild Oats that ysays the frozen veggies all thaw at some point before being sold, so I'm not sure I would tell the difference. I'll have to do my own test at home, as best I can.

I'm not surprised since I have had a lot of problems with mishandled frozen foods purchased from my local Wild Oats. When I was with Whole Foods in Raleigh there was a big focus on properly handling frozen foods (a focus I was aware of even though I worked on the front end) and foods which were allowed to thaw were thrown away.