We all want the best for our health and our families, so when it comes to produce, and in particular vegetables, what’s the best – frozen or fresh?
Most commercially grown fresh vegetables usually spend 3 – 7 days in storage before display and purchase. The longer vegetables are stored, the more vitamins they lose.
Frozen vegetables are generally picked in their prime, snap-frozen immediately after harvesting to ‘lock-in’ nutrition. However, it is important to note that prior to freezing, these vegetables are blanched (a process where vegetables are plunged into boiling water briefly, removed and plunged into iced water). While some nutrients are lost - mainly vitamin C and folate, which are sensitive to heat, the losses are no greater than those that occur during cooking.
So which is better for you?
Research has consistently found that the nutritional value of frozen and fresh vegetables are very similar, with frozen vegetables sometimes having a slightly higher edge in nutrition values because of efficient processing.
Another big plus is frozen vegetables make meal preparation quick and easy - they are available all year round. So rather than chose one or the other, I'll show you a great way to incorporate both fresh and frozen vegetables into your metabolically precise eating plan.
Below I've provided 5 popular produce examples where I think each are best suited to your meals and recipes.
Pumpkin
Fresh - Ideal for roasting or adding as chunks in a soup. The texture and shape is retained.
Frozen - When mashed – is perfect for stews, slow cooker recipes, pureed soup, added as a filler to rissoles/patties.
Green Beans
Fresh - Ideal for stir fries, steamed or blanched.
Frozen - Perfect for dishes that require longer cooking times – stews, casseroles, bakes, soups or slow cooker recipes.
Corn
Fresh - Ideal for salads, BBQ, boiling on stove top, added to omelets or stir fries, mixed in with quinoa or rice.
Frozen - Perfect in casseroles, pureed soups, slow cooker dishes.
Berries
Fresh - Ideal to eat raw, add to salads, yogurt.
Frozen - Perfect for MP Liquid meals, omelets, muffins, bakes. Best to add to dishes when frozen as opposed to thawing prior. Taste and texture is affected.
Spinach
Fresh - Ideal for salads, wraps, steamed, sauteed or add just prior to serving – stir fries, omelets, soups, casseroles, or slow cooker dishes.
Frozen - Perfect for making a pureed spread for wraps, added to casseroles or slow cooker recipes, oven bakes, quiches. Make sure excess water is removed after defrosting using a paper towel.
Dr Paul Cribb is the creator of mp-body.com – the first ever science-based, research-proven, nationally accredited body transformation program.