Including frozen vegetables in your regular diet can be just as beneficial to your health as fresh vegetables, and perhaps easier on your pocketbook, too. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a report in 1998 stating that the nutritional value of frozen vegetables is equivalent to their fresh counterparts. The nutrients are kept intact in vegetables that are blanched prior to freezing. Frozen vegetables can withstand long distance transportation, and hold up in your freezer for many months without compromising nutritional value.
Freezing Vegables
Fresh vegetables are typically cut or sliced into smaller pieces, first. These pieces are then blanched in hot water for a short period of time. Blanching is what deactivates the enzymes that would ordinarily break down the nutrients, color, texture, and flavor. The vegetable sits in the hot water long enough for the enzyme to be deactivated, but short enough to prevent the vegetable from cooking. The blanched vegetables are then transferred to cold water to quickly reduce the temperature and stop them from cooking, after which they are packaged and frozen. The blanching process is often evident on frozen vegetables, which are typically encapsulated in tiny ice crystals.
Nutritional Value
Regular consumption of vegetables is key to a healthy diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that a normal healthy adult consume 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Vegetables are a good source of water, fiber, and micronutrients. Just like fruits, vegetables come in a rainbow of colors, each color lending its own important nutritional benefits. Orange vegetables, like carrots and sweet potatoes, for example, are high in beta-carotene or Vitamin A which keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps prevent against infections.
Cost Benefits
Frozen vegetables are often more economical than their fresh counterparts. Unlike fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables have a long shelf-life, lasting anywhere from 12 to 18 months when stored at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. You are more likely to get around to using that box of spinach in your freezer than the head of cauliflower slowly browning and shriveling up in your refrigerator's crisper box. Furthermore, frozen vegetables are "in season" year-round at supermarkets, grocery stores, and even convenience stores nationwide. They are readily available anywhere that sells frozen foods.
History
Freezing vegetables, like canning, used to be one way to extend a crop of vegetables throughout the year. While humans living in cold climates have always had the capacity to freeze food outside for future consumption, it was not until 1924 when Clarence Birdseye invented the quick-freezing method that is used to produce the frozen foods known today. The first frozen vegetables to be sold commercially included green peas, carrots and corn.
Nutrition Facts of Common Frozen Vegetables
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database, 1/2 cup of green peas cooked from frozen has 62 calories, including: 4 g protein; 11 g carbohydrates; 4 g fiber; 1.5 mg iron; 18 mg vitamin C; 103 mcg vitamin A; 47 mcg folate; and 1225 mcg beta-carotene. Also, 1/2 cup of green spinach cooked from frozen contains 32 calories, including 4 g protein; 5 g carbohydrates; 3.5 g fiber; 145 mg calcium; 1.9 mg iron; 6875 mcg beta-carotene; 11458 mcg vitamin A; and 115 mcg folate.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Economic Research Service: "How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables?"
- Library of Congress; Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress: "Who Invented Frozen Food?"
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