Frozen fruits and vegetables are sometimes better than fresh ones

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Advantages of frozen products

There is no question that fruits and vegetables are an important part of a heart-healthy diet. According to experts, fresh products are always a good choice, but frozen fruits and vegetables are often just as healthy.

Health experts recommend eating at least five to ten servings of fruit and vegetables a day. This provides your body with important vitamins and minerals and protects you from diseases. Most people recommend fresh products, but frozen ones are often just as healthy, explains Dr. Stephen Kopecky, a cardiologist at the renowned Mayo Clinic (USA).

Nutrients are better preserved

Various scientific studies have shown that plant-based foods are beneficial for heart health. Fruit and vegetables in particular are part of a heart-healthy diet.

But did you know that frozen products may be healthier than the fruits and vegetables in your fridge? Like Dr. Kopecky explained in a contribution, scientific studies have shown that when certain types of fruit or vegetables are frozen, nutrients are better preserved.

“We know that fruits and vegetables start to crumble a few days after harvesting and a lot of nutrients are lost. So studies have shown that nutrients can be better preserved if you can freeze them at lightning speed because it maintains cellular integrity so that the cells are not deformed, ”says Dr. Kopecky.

According to experts, for example, peas lose more than 40 percent of vitamin C in the refrigerator within just two days of harvesting. In the case of leaf spinach, it is even 80 percent.

Flash freezing or shock freezing or shock freezing means that the product is picked, blanched and frozen quickly to avoid the formation of ice crystals. Not all products in the freezer are shock-frozen.

Consistency and taste are retained

The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) also points out on its website that deep-freezing for vitamins and minerals is the most gentle preservation method.

“Fruits and vegetables that are frozen immediately after harvesting still contain a particularly large number of vitamins and other valuable ingredients. It is therefore particularly well suited to supplying yourself with important nutrients, ”writes the health insurance fund.

And: “The goods are frozen at a temperature of at least minus 18 degrees Celsius. In this way, consistency and taste are retained. In order to largely preserve nutrients and vitamins, the cold chain must not be interrupted on the transport routes. "

Pay attention to ingredients

Anyone who chooses frozen products should also note that ready-to-cook frozen meals often contain ingredients that can pose health problems, such as colors, flavors, preservatives, flavor enhancers, binders or sugar. When buying, you should therefore pay attention to the ingredients listed. According to their own statements, some manufacturers do not use additives in frozen goods. (ad)

Author and source information

This text corresponds to the specifications of the medical literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical doctors.

Swell:

Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic Minute: Benefits of flash-frozen produce, (accessed: November 20, 2019), Mayo Clinic
Techniker Krankenkasse (TK): Fresh, frozen or canned ?, (accessed on November 20, 2019), Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)