If you spend most of your food shop perusing the fresh fruit and veg aisles, we’ve got news for you.
Although you may think that fresh produce contains the most nutrients, you might actually be better off looking at canned and frozen.
As well as being better for your wallet, canned and frozen vegetables can sometimes retain their nutritional value a whole lot more than fresh items.
In a recent chat with Dr Karan Rajan – NHS Surgeon, educator, and TikTok phenomenon – we were seriously surprised to find out that we should be eating a lot more frozen veggies.
“We need to stop being afraid of frozen tinned or canned fruits and vegetables,” Dr Rajan told HuffPost UK.
“They’re cheap and often retain their nutritional value a lot more than fresh items – because as soon as something is harvested, it begins to lose its nutritional value.”
As Dr Rajan explains, if you live near or on a farm and you’re getting your produce right there and then, that’s probably the best type of fresh food to get.
However, he adds, the average person going into a big supermarket and buying fresh produce could get better value for their money with frozen or tinned can produce.
And Dr Rajan isn’t the only one encouraging us to reach for the frozen stuff.
As Healthline reports, most fresh fruits and vegetables are picked before they are ripe – which allows them time to fully ripen during transportation.
However, it also gives them less time to develop a full range of vitamins, minerals and natural antioxidants.
In comparison, fruits and vegetables that will be frozen are generally picked at peak ripeness, when they’re the most nutritious. Once harvested, the vegetables are often washed, blanched, cut, frozen and packaged within a few hours.
The bottom line? Frozen produce may be equal to, or in some cases, even more nutritious than fresh varieties – but it’s best to choose a mix of fresh and frozen produce to ensure you get the best range of nutrients.
This Book May Save Your Life by Dr Karan Rajan is out now. Follow him on TikTok here.
