VEGTABLES: Do bagged frozen vegtables give you the same vitamins and nutrients as buying non-frozen?

Question

I eat lots of vegtables but lately i have been buying frozen vegtables, you know the ones that are bagged (preserved). Do those give you the same amount of nutrients as buying them from the farmers market? When i do get vegtables they spoil so its easier for me to buy frozen and cook those. What do you think is it the same thing?

I eat lots of vegtables but lately i have been buying frozen vegtables, you know the ones that are bagged (preserved). Do those give you the same amount of nutrients as buying them from the farmers market? When i do get vegtables they spoil so its easier for me to buy frozen and cook those. What do you think is it the same thing?
Also i deep fry them in olive oil in order for them to cook (again they are frozen) is that still healthy??

Answer 1

I've had two nutritionists tell me there's no difference in the nutrition value. Canned veggies are not as good, the sodium content is very high and the quality is poor. Same with frozen fruit, many diet plans tell you frozen produce and fruit is just fine, calorie count and nutrition value are the same.

WATCH OUT for the veggies they are selling nowadays that have built in sauces. I didn't notice that and got a stir-fry mix that actually had pasta and sauce already in it. Tripled the calorie count and was nasty tasting to boot.

Answer 2

I eat frozen veggies too for the same reason. By the time I go for my fresh stuff, it is sometimes too late.

I don't know exactly about the frozen vs fresh, but I don't think the deep frying part is good. While olive oil is a better oil most, it still has calories! If you do use it, usually it would be better to stir fry in no more than a couple tablespoons. Plus it is usually a more expensive oil.

An easy and my favorite way to cook frozen vegetables is steam them: boil a small amount of water in a pot, put the veggies in a little strainer (it looks like a spaceship with feet to me when it is folded up), cover, and leave in there just a few minutes. Just don't let them get soggy! I like them still crisp and the colors bright. You can usually pretty much follow the cooking directions on the package, but put them in the strainer, and use less water so the veggies are not immersed. Sometimes I season them or even do use a little butter (but real butter, not hydrogenated stuff like margarine).

Answer 3

They do not give you the same level of nutrients. However, eating frozen vegetables is better than eating no vegetables at all. Frozen vegetables often are highly processed and some even come with added salt/sugar. If you are going to eat frozen veggies I suggest looking for a brand that is organic and minimally processed. These will have the best nutrient quality. Fresh vegetables (that are not sprayed with toxins) are better for you though because they are not processed and contain essential vitamins and minerals that can be lost when freezing.

Answer 4

actually some nutritionist's think that frozen vegetable hold there nutrition better that "fresh" because frozen vegetables are frozen 24 hours from being picked locking in the nutrients where so called fresh vegetables could be stored a couple of days here or there from growers shipping warehouses grocery stores and then finally the consumer themselves all the while nutrients are being lost at room temperature or refrigeration. since you buy from farmers market planning to use them or only buying what you can consume in a short period and supplementing with frozen veg would be my suggestion as they should be of similar nutritional value being that veg from farmers market is much fresher than that of grocery stores

Answer 5

Frozen can actually be fresher than fresh. Most frozen veggies are flash frozen within 24 hours of being picked, whereas the produce in your grocery store may be a week old or more. Look for frozen veggies with nothing added (some have salt or preservatives, but you can find brands that are just veggies.)

Answer 6

Frozen vegetables can be superior in nutrition as opposed to "Supermarket Fresh". They are frozen immediately after picking and are frozen in their current nutritive state. Sometimes supermarket "Fresh" vegetables may not be "Fresh" and actually be close to 1-2 weeks old.

As soon as you pick a plant it starts losing its nutrients.

When you cook a vegetable some nutrients are lost, this is true. However, some nutrients bioavailability to the body are increased by as much as 500%. Corn for example contains Ferulic acid, a powerful Anti-Cancer compound, and when cooked increases it's availability to the body by 500%.

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Answer 7

The best vegetables you can have are those picked by yourself from your own garden. The second best are frozen vegetables as they are frozen soon after being harvested, whilst produce sold in shops as "fresh" is often days old....depending on when the produce was picked and how far it has had to travel to get to the shop you are buying it from...

Because the veg are frozen soon after being harvested more of their goodness is preserved. As has been said, most vitamins and such are lost when being cooked. If I don't stir fry my veg then it gets steamed as this is a much quicker/better way of cooking veg than boiling it....the taste is amazing and you don't need to add salt whilst the veg are being cooked...

Answer 8

I've been told that frozen might be better because they are frozen very shortly after harvest whereas fresh in the supermarket is really not so fresh. Regardless of that, the nutritional value is pretty much the same and frozen is much easier on the wallet.

Answer 9

Fresh is always better than frozen. If you want to buy from a Farmer's Market but are afraid of spoilage, you can blanch them first and then freeze them. This will allow for it to be the most nutrient dense.

Answer 10

Many times because of the age difference frozen are as good or better than fresh..if there is nothing added in the process.
The same is not true on can foods.
If you can buy fresh local grown veggies that is your best bet.