One of our top tips for eating healthily on a budget is to utilise frozen and tinned produce.
But have you ever wondered if frozen and tinned fruits and vegetables are as healthy as fresh?
Let’s have a look at the difference 👀
🥦 Fresh – Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually picked before they are ripe to allow for freshness during transportation. They pack the most punch when it comes to the quantity and variety of nutrients. But unfortunately, the time produce spends being transported, exposed to heat, and sitting on a shelf in a supermarket does mean a decrease in the number of nutrients over time. Fresh doesn’t have to be expensive if you buy them in season and many are in season year-round.
🧊 Frozen – Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually picked when they are ripe, minimally blanched, and then flash frozen. This means that most of the nutritional value is not only preserved right after harvesting but throughout transportation and shelf life. Nutrients such as vitamin C can actually be higher in frozen foods than in fresh ones.
🥫 Tinned/Canned – Tinned fruits and vegetables are usually picked when they are ripe, like frozen produce, but they tend to undergo a lot more processing. Blanching is common, as well as the addition of sugar, salt and additives. Tinned fruits and vegetables often get a bad rap but they are still very nutritious.
Top tips when selecting tinned or frozen produce:
🍑 Go for tinned fruits in water or natural juice and avoid fruits in syrup
🍓 Make sure frozen fruits are 100% frozen fruits with no added sugars
🥕 Look out for low-sodium, reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added tinned vegetables
🧂 Opt for 100% tinned vegetables, those tinned in sauces are often high in sugar and salt
💧 Drain and rinse tinned produce to remove added sugar and salt
🌈 Whether it be fresh, frozen or tinned, a good food mantra to follow is ‘eat the rainbow’ when it comes to a healthy plate of fruit and vegetables.
Leave a comment below to let us know if you like your fruit and vegetables fresh, frozen or tinned/canned.
