Fresh vs. frozen vegetables

I got a question yesterday about fresh vs. frozen vegetables. And if frozen vegetables have less vitamins than fresh veggies.

A lot of people think that frozen vegetables should only be eaten when fresh vegetables are hard to find or not in-season, but I would like to differ. According to research frozen vegetables may even be healthier than some of the fresh produce sold in grocery stores.

The vegetables that are chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, which is when they are the most nutrient-packed.  In order to have fresh vegetables at the grocery store, the vegetables are picked before they are ripe. This means that the vegetables has less time to develop a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals, and they will never have the same nutrition value as if they had been allowed to fully ripen on the vine.

How many times have you bought fresh vegetables and have them gone bad before you've had time to cook them? Cooking with frozen vegetables will save you money and stop you from wasting food.

So my recommendation is, buy fresh vegetables that are in-season, preferably from local organic farms to ensure they ripened on the vine. But always have some frozen vegetables at home for convenient healthy cooking.

If you have any questions about nutrition or healthy cooking, send them my way at molander@stellibell.com. Namaste.