Do you think canned soup and canned vegetables are really that nutritious?

Question

I have heard that canned soup and canned vegatables are depleted of a lot of their nutrients by the canning preservation process. also do you think that they have a lot of unwanted chemicals in them?

It saves time that is for sure to pop open a can of soup as opposed to cooking fresh, what is your knowledge about this?

Answer 1

Nothing beats fresh (preferably local) produce !!!

Canned Soups and Vegetable often are over cooked at nutritionally useless.

They also contain many preservatives and salts.

Take a look at the ingredient information and any canned item and it'll list all manner of things........

Pick up a carrot and you have a carrot, pick up a pea and you have a pea, pick up a can of mixed peas and carrots and you'll see a hell of a lot more than.........erm ......peas & carrots.

Answer 2

Actually this is quite easy.

The nutritional content of the canned soup or vegetable is displayed on the side of the can, so you can see exactly how much nutrition it has, per serving or per 100 grams.

Then go to the USDA database of food nutrients - http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ - or other such resource and see how much is in the raw equivalent.

Generally there are NO 'unwanted chemicals' in any canned foods or they would not be allowed on the shelves, what many have though is an excess of sodium (salt) and sugar.

Nutritionally there is not much wrong with eating 'packaged' foods and you will find that a canned soup will have more or less the same nutritional value as the home made equivalent cooked from fresh produce.

Some frozen vegetables actually have higher a nutrient content than fresh vegetables. This is because in the process the vegetable is picked and frozen within an hour or two, retaining the nutrient content of the freshly picked vegetable. Whereas fresh produce on the shelf or in the market has been picked, transported to some distribution centre, stored then transported on to street market or supermarket, it can often take days before it gets to you. In these days and with exposure to air, light and other pollution it has started to oxidise and deteriorate while the frozen one is still 'freshly picked' so to say.

Answer 3

Canned soup and vegetables are nowhere near as nutritious as fresh. When you take a vegetable from the bush/plant/ground it immediately starts losing vitamins and minerals and this depletion continues. If you take into acount the 'cooking' process which all canned goods undergo these are then depleted further. Most soups/stews etc that are canned are heavily seasoned (like all processed foods) which takes more nutrition points away, and most vegetables are canned in brine (losing points again) or a brine/sugar mix (more points gone) so what you end up with is a poor imitation of the real, fresh thing. Canned vegetables have no texture, and the taste they have is very much affected by the salt/sugar in the liquid they're stored in.

If you're too busy to prepare veg from scratch then frozen is the way to go.

Answer 4

Actually, canned veggies and especially canned soups are LOADED with salt. And actually, it takes about five minutes more time to make a pot of chicken soup than to heat up a can. As far as veggies are concerned, try putting fresh veggies in a plastic bag with a few teaspoons of water, seal or tie the bag shut, and put into the microwave, (do NOT use a twist tie!!).Your not nuking the veggies, but creating a steamer which will create a more nutritious and delicious product. Cook the veggies to your own required doneness, then season to your liking! Have fun and good cooking!!

Answer 5

You can get low sodium soup and canned veggies. I recall seeing a news report where canned veggies actually had more vitamins than fresh veggies, because the canned veggies are protected from the store lighting which over time destroys vitamins (in fresh produce). Most ppl prefer the taste of fresh veggies, but canned ones are fine for when you are too busy to go to the store.

Answer 6

It is always better to have fresh. The canning process does alter some of the vitamins that are heat labile. But there is plenty of nutrition in the canned food. Read the label to see what preservatives might be in there. If it is canned properly it does not need any but some are added to retain color.Go fresh when you can or frozen. You may have noted on the shelves that you can choose cans with less salt in them(sodium). Also try for variety because it gives you a better chance to get all the nutrients that you need.

Answer 7

You need to be careful with canned soups as they are loaded with salt, same as can veggies. Take time to read labels. If you have to buy any prepared foods try the bags of frozen ones !

Answer 8

You can't beat fresh, uncooked vegetables for their nutrition. Cooking destroys the natural enzymes that help the body break the vegetables down into their constituent components thereby making them easier for the body to absorb and utilize.

Answer 9

Fresh is better, but canned isn't terrible, the modern process generally preserves most of the vitamins.

Answer 10

they're loaded with sodium .I prefer frozen veggies or homemade soup--