Frozen vegetables are always in season, no matter where you live. But some people hesitate to choose frozen vegetables over fresh, feeling that frozen vegetables don't have the same nutritional value as fresh. This is not necessarily true, particularly if you buy your fresh produce from the grocery store rather than from local produce stands.
Freezing Speed
Frozen vegetables are normally picked, processed and frozen within a short time. Green Giant and Birdseye, two large manufacturers of frozen vegetables, both say their produce is picked, cleaned and frozen within hours, according to Chow.com. Unless you buy locally grown produce, the vegetables you buy in the grocery store may have traveled for as long as two weeks from field to grocery shelf. During that time, they lose nutrients. Green peas lose as much as 51 percent of their vitamin C within 48 hours of picking, reports Joy Rickman of the University of California-Davis reported in the 2007 "Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture." Fresh spinach loses 100 percent of its vitamin C when stored at ambient temperatures for as few as four days.
Process
The freezing process involves first blanching the vegetables, which means dipping them in hot water, which can destroy some vitamins, like thiamine, a B vitamin. Loss of vitamin C during the freezing process averages 50 percent, but ranges from 10 to 90 percent, depending on the type of vegetable, Rickman says.
Storage
Vegetables lose more nutrients the longer they're frozen before being used. Average vitamin C losses after one year ranged from 20 to 50 percent, depending on the type of vegetable, according to Rickman. Fresh and frozen vegetables both lose some nutrients during storage; some do better frozen, and others retain more vitamins if they're frozen.
Cooking Methods
After cooking, frozen and fresh vegetables contain about the same amount of vitamin C. Cooking with minimal water added and cooking for as short a time as possible both help to preserve nutrients in both fresh and frozen foods.
Additives
People often think frozen vegetables have preservatives and other additives added, but many don't, making them as healthy as their fresh counterparts. Some, however, have added sauces and flavorings that increase their fat or simple sugar intake, making them a less healthy choice than frozen vegetables without anything added.
References
- Chow: Are Frozen Vegetables as Nutritious as Fresh?
- "Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture:" Nutritional Comparison of Fresh, Frozen and Canned Fruits and Vegetables; Joy Rickman; 2007
- All Business: When it Comes Down to Nutrition, Frozen Vegetables Travel Better
- Health Services at Columbia: Go Ask Alice: Nutritional Differences Between Canned, Frozen and Fresh Veggies
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