Sure, leafy lettuces, red-ripe tomatoes, and crunchy carrots are good for you. But are you getting all the nutrients your produce has to give? Fresh fruits and veggies come packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Or do they? Turns out you might be doing a disservice in the journey from the grocery store to your stomach.
It’s true that fresh fruits and vegetables tend to taste better and have more nutritional value than frozen or canned. But that’s not always the case. Fresh is best when it really is farm-fresh and ripe. However, many commercial fruits and veggies are picked before peak ripeness — which also means before their nutritional peak — to avoid spoilage during transport and storage. And just a few days after harvest, fruits and vegetables begin to lose some of their nutritive goodness. What’s more, the longer they sit on the shelf — during transport, in the supermarket, and in your fridge — the fewer nutrients they have left to pass on to you.
On the other hand, fruits and vegetables intended for freezing are usually picked closer to the peak of ripeness and are flash-frozen immediately after harvest. The processing does deplete some nutrients, but it locks in the rest for up to 12 months. So in some instances, frozen fruits and veggies may actually have more of the vitamins and minerals your body need. Further, to help retain the highest levels of vitamin C, don’t thaw frozen veggies before cooking. Studies show that vegetables cooked directly from frozen retain more vitamin C than vegetables that are thawed first.
Some studies suggest the microwave is to blame for sucking nutrients out of your food, others point a finger at the water in which they are cooked. However for most fruits and vegetables, any type of cooking lowers the nutrient content. So for now, a good rule of thumb is: less is more.
* Leave skins on whenever possible. Many fruits and vegetables hold most of their antioxidants in their skins. Simply wash well before cooking/eating.
* Lightly steam vegetables instead of boiling, sautéing, or roasting. Better yet, go raw with a fresh salad.
* If you prefer to blanch your veggies, dip them into boiling water for the least amount of time possible.
Now eat and be healthy.
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