The question of whether to consume fresh or frozen fruits and veggies is sometimes raised not because of the preference of the buyers, but due to the availability in the market. But for health-conscious people, and those in their bodybuilding and weight loss journey, choosing between the two with more nutritional value matters.
You might not expect but in today’s video, I personally choose frozen fruits with some fresh options in fruits and veggies.
Most fruits and veggies are picked BEFORE THEY ARE RIPE so they could be fully ripened during the transportation to the market from 3 days to a few weeks. However, fresh produce is mostly treated with some chemicals for preservation purposes.
Meanwhile, frozen fruits and veggies are generally picked DURING THEIR PEAK RIPENESS, and they have the highest nutritional value at this moment. Fruits and vegetables are being washed and packaged within a few hours after harvesting.
Veggies undergo blanching before the freezing process while the fruits are not so the texture won’t get affected. Fruits are treated with ascorbic acid or sugar instead.
In general, FREEZING helps retain the nutrients in fruits and veggies. Some studies show that fresh and frozen produce similar nutrient content. Still, there are instances where frozen produce more Vitamin C and increases fiber since the fruits and veggies are more soluble during the freezing process.
WHAT TO CHOOSE THEN?
If you have available fruits and vegetables that you can pick straight from your farm or garden, you can always get the highest quality.
But when buying in the market, the nutritional value of frozen produce is just equivalent to, or in some cases, even healthier than fresh options.
If you consider CONVENIENCE and COST-EFFECTIVE alternatives, the frozen varieties are the best.
It would be much better if you consume a mix of fresh produce and some frozen to get more nutritional value.
These studies from OXFORD and NeuroLogica can help you better understand the matter:
Nutritional Content of Produce
Processed foods: contributions to nutrition
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/99/6/1525/4577499
