Frozen vs Fresh. What is more nutritious?

Well, it turns out that frozen fruits and vegetables are a brrrrrr-illiant better nutrition answer, but people still are questioning…

Why fresh produce has nutrient loss?

Most produce loses 30 percent of nutrients three days after harvest. Fruits and vegetables will never be as nutritious as they are the moment you pluck them off of the vine, or tree, or out of the ground.

Every hour that goes by after that, their nutritional value literally withers away.

Once a fruit or veggie is picked, it begins to release heat and lose water (a process called respiration), impacting its nutritional quality. Then, pest-controlling sprays, transportation, handling, and plain ol’ time cause fresh produce to lose some of its original nutrients by the time it reaches the store.

To give you some examples, researchers found that frozen broccoli has more vitamin B than fresh plus corn, blueberries, and green beans all had more vitamin C than their fresh equivalents.

Here are just some of the reasons frozen is a brilliant & better nutrition choice:

• Frozen last longer

• Frozen is season-less

• Frozen is less expensive

• Frozen is fresh, often even fresher

Bottom line

It turns out that frozen produce has just as many nutrients (if not more) as fresh.

Produce chosen for freezing tend to be picked at their peak ripeness, a time when (as a general rule) they are the most nutrient-packed. After harvest, they are processed immediately, minimizing the time for initial nutrient losses. The freezing process entails blanching the produce in hot water or steam to kill any bacteria and to halt the food-degrading enzymes. While some water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and B, are sensitive to this and may be partially degraded or lost, frozen fruit and vegetables generally keep a majority of their nutritive value when processed. Therefore, the subsequent flash-freezing locks the produce in a relatively nutrient-rich state.