3 Reasons to love frozen food

IN One study published in 2015Scientists have measured the level of four vitamins in eight types of frozen and fresh fruit and vegetables: strawberries, spinach, broccoli, corn, carrots, peas, green beans and berries. They discovered that although fresh and frozen versions generally had a similar level of vitamins, there were significant exceptions. For example, frozen corn, green beans and berries had a much higher level of vitamin C than their fresh counterparts. And the levels of vitamin E in frozen green beans, peas, blueberries and spinach were higher than in fresh versions. Vitamin B2 levels were also higher in frozen broccoli compared to fresh.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are luxurious in nutrients because they are collected and then quickly frozen when they are ripe – when their levels of vitamin and minerals are usually the highest, said Marie Barone, a dietitian at UC Davis Health. On the other hand, with fresh options, “the longer the products sit on store shelves or in our homes, the more nutrients it lose,” she said.

In other words, the fresh products that you see in the grocery store have often lost some nutrients before you bought them, let alone food, said Sander Kersten, a molecular nutrition researcher at Cornell University.

These nutritional differences are often the largest during agriculture out of season, said Barone. If you buy fresh peach in February, when it is not locally in the season, it will probably be chosen on a distant farm, and then transport many miles – for several days – to the grocery store, losing nutrients along the way. IN One study from 2003Scientists have calculated that conventional travels on average almost 1,500 miles before reaching consumers.

They can be cheaper.

Frozen dishes are often cheaper than their fresh counterparts. According to Department of AgricultureAverage prices of fruit and vegetables, such as blackberries, berries, raspberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, corn, green beans, kale and spinach, are lower when bought are frozen instead of fresh.