There is no doubt that the healthiest foods are fresh and whole. If they are seasonal and organic, even better. But frozen and canned foods can be an option to complete the diet, as long as they are free of additives. If we can choose, are frozen or canned foods preferable? Which preservation method works best with sensitive nutrients like vitamin C?
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FROZEN OR CANNED FOODS
FROZEN
Fresh fruits and vegetables are frozen within a few hours after harvest, which has clear advantages. Vitamins will not suffer with the passage of time and temperature changes like those suffered by fresh food.
A study from the University of Hamburg shows that the vitamin C content of raw peas is significantly reduced after seven days of storage at room temperature, while the content hardly changed after two years of freezing storage at -25 degrees.
In addition, frozen fruits and vegetables do not contain preservatives or other additives.
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However, some vegetables are blanched before freezing to disinfect them, which can reduce their vitamin C and water-soluble B vitamins. The loss averages 50%. But similar destruction occurs with peas in the first 48 hours after harvest. Ultimately, the nutritional value of frozen and fresh peas ends up being similar.
The same cannot be said, of course, for frozen ready meals in general. Most are ultra-processed with unhealthy ingredients like refined fats, sugars, and a variety of additives. They are not recommended.
CANNED
Compared to fresh or frozen products, fruits and vegetables in jars or cans have lower nutrient content as they are pasteurized to kill microorganisms and inactivate enzymes.
This makes the product durable, but has an impact on important nutrients such as heat-sensitive vitamins (vitamins C, A, B1, B2, and folic acid). In addition, sugar, salt and preservative additives are often added.
Another aspect against tin or aluminum cans usually have the interior covered with a plastic sheet that can contain bisphenol A (BPA). It is a compound that behaves as an endocrine disruptor and therefore can promote hormonal alterations.
93% OF CANNED FOODS CONTAIN BPA
A study by the Center for Environmental, Food and Toxicology Technology (TecnATox) of the Rovira Virgili University (URV) and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and carried out between 2017 and 2019, affirms that bisphenol A is used in 93% of cans of food and beverages and that, consequently, the people who consume these products the most are those with the highest levels of bisphenol in blood and urine.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FROZEN AND CANNED
If frozen foods do not fare badly in relation to nutritional content, the same does not happen when their environmental impact is analyzed. The energy required to treat and keep products frozen is enormous. Therefore, if we choose to consume frozen food, we can take into account some criteria:
- Choose frozen foods of origin as closely as possible.
- Don’t keep them in the fridge for more than 5 days.
- Open the freezer just long enough to put the food in or out.
- Choose an energy efficient freezer A.
- Set the freezer temperature to -15 ° C.
If you compare the nutritional content of frozen and canned products, frozen foods clearly perform better.
As for the environmental impact, it depends on many factors, from the origin of the product to variables that depend on consumer behavior. There is no doubt that fresh seasonal and organic plant foods are unrivaled in this regard.
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