Are frozen vegetables as healthy as fresh ones? You’ll be surprised.: ScienceAlert

The cost of living crisis is affecting our spending, and for many people this means spending less on their weekly supermarket shop.

One victim could be fresh fruit and vegetables. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggests that Australians consumed fewer fruits and vegetables in 2022-23 than the year before.

The cost of living is likely to exacerbate an existing problem: overall, Australians don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that people aged nine and over should eat two portions of fruit and five portions of vegetables daily for optimal health.

But in 2022, the ABS reported that only 4 percent of Australians met recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption.

Fruit and vegetables are essential for a healthy, balanced diet as they provide numerous vitamins and minerals as well as fibre.

If you can’t afford as much fresh produce right now, there are other ways to still get the benefits of these food groups. You might even be able to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption.

Frozen

Fresh produce is often touted as the most nutritious (think of the old saying “fresh is best”), but that’s not necessarily true.

Nutrient content can decrease during transport from the field to your kitchen and during storage in the refrigerator. Frozen vegetables may actually have higher levels of some nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, because they are flash frozen shortly before harvest. Variations in transport and storage can slightly affect this.

Minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium remain at similar levels in frozen products as in fresh products.

Another benefit of frozen vegetables and fruits is that you may waste less food because you only use the amount you need at the time.

Not only can you buy frozen fruit and vegetables in the supermarket, but you can also freeze the products yourself at home if you have a surplus from the garden or the products are cheaper at the moment.

A brief blanching before freezing can improve the shelf life and quality of the products. This involves briefly dipping the food in boiling water or steaming it for a short time.

Frozen vegetables are not suitable for salads, but can be eaten roasted or steamed and used in soups, stews, casseroles, curries, pies and quiches. Frozen fruit can be added to breakfast dishes (with cereal or yoghurt) or used in things like fruit pies and cakes.

Cans

Canned fruit and vegetables are also often a cheaper alternative to fresh produce. They are also very convenient because you always have them on hand. The canning process is the preservation technique, so no additional preservatives, including salt, need to be added.

The cooking process causes the content of heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C to decrease slightly compared to fresh produce. If you are using canned vegetables for a hot dish, you can add them later in the cooking process to reduce nutrient loss.

To minimize waste, you can freeze the portion you don’t need.

Fermentation preserves most of the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables. Fermentation can also improve the nutritional profile of the food by creating new nutrients and making existing ones more easily absorbed.

In addition, fermented foods contain probiotics that have a positive effect on our intestinal microbiome.

5 more tips for your freshness kick

While alternatives to fresh produce, such as canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, are good substitutes, here are a few things you can do if you’re looking to incorporate more fresh produce into your diet while on a budget.

1. Buy seasonally

Based on the principle of supply and demand, buying seasonal local vegetables and fruits is always cheaper than buying out-of-season fruits and vegetables imported from other countries.

2. Don’t avoid the ugly fruits and vegetables

Most supermarkets today sell “ugly” fruits and vegetables that are not physically perfect. This has no impact on their nutritional content or taste.

3. Reduce waste

On average, an Australian household throws away between A$2,000 and A$2,500 worth of food each year. Fruit, vegetables and pre-packaged salad are the top three most commonly thrown away foods in our homes.

Proper handling of fresh produce can help you save money (and protect the environment).

To avoid waste, plan your meals and groceries in advance. And if you think you won’t be able to eat the fruits and vegetables you have before they go bad, freeze them.

4. Exchange and share

There are many websites and apps that offer the opportunity to swap fresh produce or even collect for free if people have more than they need. Some local councils also encourage bartering on their websites, so have a browse around and see what you can find in your area.

5. Gardening

No matter how small your garden is, you can always grow produce in pots. Herbs, arugula, cherry tomatoes, chilies and strawberries all grow well. In the long run, these will offset some of your costs for fresh produce.

And if you’ve taken the trouble to grow your own fruit and vegetables, you’re less likely to throw them away.

Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Registered Dietitian, University of South Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.