Did you know that the vitamin C content of fresh green beans drops by nearly half just six days after purchase date? Ideally, you would want to shop regularly for produce to get the most nutritional bang for your buck, picking up fresh fruits and vegetables every couple of days. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible.
So, what about canned and frozen fruits and vegetables? According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the heat processing used in canning fruits and vegetables does deplete small amounts of vitamins, but they end up in the liquid with the food. The vitamin content of canned foods is shelf stable and remains constant even after two years. In fact, the thiamin content of canned beans is comparable to home-prepared versions, and current research suggests the lycopene in tomatoes is a more effective antioxidant after tomatoes have been heated or canned!
Same thing goes for frozen produce. Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually picked at their peak vitamin content and then frozen, so sometimes you’re even getting a better product than what you’d find at the supermarket; you never know how long those strawberries have been on the shelf!
Raw and whole form is usually when produce is most nutritious, but not everyone likes their food raw! So once you’re ready to cook canned or frozen vegetables, use minimal amounts of heat and water, and minimal exposure to air in order to hold on to those vitamins! Keep vegetables whole, if you can, so that there’s less surface area for the vitamins to escape. Steaming and microwaving are the best cooking methods for preserving vitamin content because they minimize cooking time and water use. Store any leftover vegetables in air-tight containers, and eat within a few days.
