Frozen Vegetables That Are Healthier Than Fresh - Newsweek

Nov 02, 2024

The frozen aisle, with its pizzas and chicken nuggets, is not known for its healthy food, but frozen vegetables may be better for you than fresh ones.

"Frozen vegetables are actually a great option, as they're often frozen shortly after being picked at their ripest," nutritional therapist Milena Mastroianni, from Root and Leaf Nutrition, told Newsweek.

"This means that frozen vegetables retain more nutrients than fresh store-bought vegetables, which are often picked, shipped, and stored for longer periods."

Anna Early, nutritional therapist at Nutrivival, agreed. She told Newsweek: "Generally, frozen vegetables maintain their nutrient content and their antioxidant levels as well, which can deplete in fresh vegetables as they start to age."

Vegetables that have been left to ripen in the ground have longer to absorb beneficial compounds from the soil, such as vitamins and minerals. This is true for most frozen vegetables, which is why they can be more nutrient rich by the time they are picked.

In contrast, vegetables that are sold fresh are generally picked early and allowed to ripen in transit and on the store shelf, so they have less time to absorb nutrients from the soil in this way.

Also, freezing has the added benefit of preserving nutrients that would otherwise deplete over time.

"The best frozen options are greens like spinach, green beans or broccoli, which spoil and lose nutrients quickly," said Mastroianni. "For example, vitamin C rapidly degrades after harvest; broccoli retains all its vitamin C when frozen but loses up to 56 percent within seven days when refrigerated at higher temperatures or at room temperature."

For Earl, her favorite vegetable to buy frozen is peas, and she said: "Frozen peas are frozen so quickly within picking that they don't have the chance to lose any nutritional content."

But it wasn't just the nutrients that made Earl and Mastroianni such fans of frozen veggies; they also praised their convenience.

"You don't have to be chopping and peeling within an inch of your life in all your spare time to get vegetables into your diet," said Earl. "Just bung a handful of frozen anything into your meals to raise that nutrient content and increase your veg."

"It's so easy to raise the nutrient content of a meal by just chucking in a portion of frozen spinach."

Mastroianni added: "A handful of spinach can be tossed into soups or curries just before serving, while green beans or broad beans can be quickly sautéed or steamed.

"Classics like peas and sweet corn are perfect for adding extra color and fiber to grains like cooked rice and quinoa, since they defrost in no time."

Frozen veg can be a cheaper way to eat your greens too, the nutritional therapists said.

"Often, frozen is more economical because they're picked in season," said Earl. "You're not paying to transport them across the other side of the world because they happen to be out of season when you want them."

And, she added, buying frozen bags of vegetables might mean you waste less food too.

"If you're going to just take out a portion size of what you need from the freezer, then it can mean less waste, rather than having a cabbage in the fridge that starts to go off because you've had half of it, so you chuck it away," said Earl.

Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that's worrying you? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.