Fresh Versus Frozen
Have you ever wondered which vegetables are better to use, fresh or frozen?
Research suggests that only 7% of Australian adults and 5% of children are eating enough vegetables serves in their daily diet (AIHW, 2018). And people I have spoken to have given many reasons why they don’t cook or eat them, such as they don’t like the taste, the fresh vegetables have gone off when its time to cook with them, they can’t afford to buy fresh vegetables and the kids don’t like them so they just don’t include them.
What words come to mind when I mention the word fresh vegetables to you?
Could you possibly be thinking, crisp, clean, crunchy, bursting with colour and flavour.
These are some of the words that come to my mind along with visions of how I will create and prepare the vegetables to make a delicious meal.
Now, what comes to mind when I mention frozen vegetables?
My way of thinking is, longer lasting, convenient and unlikely to go mouldy and end up in the bin.
Did you also know that frozen vegetables pack a punch of stronger nutrients than their fresh counterparts? (Unless of course you have hand picked your veggies straight from the veggie patch). Yes, you heard right, frozen veggies have a stronger nutrient value. This is because frozen vegetables are “snap” frozen. Meaning, they are picked and packed when the vegetables are nutrient dense, compared to, fresh vegetables that may have had to travel in the back of a refrigerated truck. Fresh vegetables may sit in the supermarket for a day or two before being purchased and then sit in your vegetable bin a couple more days before being cooked and eaten.
So, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of fresh versus frozen vegetables.
The pros’ of eating fresh vegetables
There is nothing so amazing as hearing the crunch of a carrot, eating crispy salad greens or biting into some super sweet juicy corn on the cob, “Heavenly”. And the variety of fresh vegetables you can get comes in abundance compared to what you can get in the frozen vegetable department.
Fresh vegetables are easy to prepare, a quick wash, maybe a peel and a slice or dice and you can eat them either raw, steamed, stir-fried or baked. Whereas, frozen need to be either boiled, microwaved, or baked and could be prepared in a sauce for a pie, casserole or lasagne in the oven. Frozen always seem to have a soggy texture and appear dull and even boring.
We all know vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, but fresh vegetables are also a great source of fibre, essential for good gut health. Fibre keeps you feeling fuller for longer and also keeps you regular.
The pros of eating frozen vegetables.
As mentioned above, frozen vegetables are picked at harvest when they reach their peak ripeness and then frozen within hours. Which is why they maintain high nutrient levels. However, when boiling vegetables this can cause the nutrients to leech out. An alternative to boiling is using the microwave. This method can be done by placing frozen veggies in a microwave proof dish with a couple of tablespoons of water. Microwave veggies for 2 minutes then check the texture, give a stir and microwave again for 60 seconds if need be. Or, by mixing frozen vegetables with a good dose of extra virgin olive oil before placing them on a hot baking tray and roasting them in a hot oven until golden. This is another alternative to boiling.
Frozen vegetables are less likely to be wasted and never go mushy and rotten in the freezer, like fresh vegetables do in the vegetable draw. So storing frozen veggies for months is an easier alternative especially if you are someone that leads a busy life and not sure what your food movements are from day to day.
Frozen veggies are also convenient and are widely available and affordable all year round.
Conclusion, having a mix of frozen and fresh veggies in your fridge is a great way to add variety and have the best of both worlds. Keeping a bag or two of a mix of frozen veggies in the freezer, not only allows you to save time, especially if you didn’t get to the shops to buy some fresh veggies, but are also ready in bite size pieces which saves on washing and chopping.
In addition, by having a selection of fresh helps you increase intake of veggie serves and allows you to consume produce in season too. Your goal at the end of the day is to consume as many veggies as you can, so you are reaching your target of 5 serves of veggies a day. Why not mix it up a little! Variety is the spice of life afterall.
To find out on how you can increase your vegetable serves a day why not email or give me a ring. You can also follow me on my facebook page. I am only too happy to help.
Keeping it simple :