Our world today is that of convenience and fast moving. From frozen to fresh, from long life to packaged, our forefathers could only have imagined the types of foods we see today.
When it comes to nutrition, our predecessors sure had the upper hand. However, is this true in all cases? There is much confusion in the nutritional value of one aspect of our life of convenience – fresh v frozen. Fresh is always best, however, there are times when frozen can actually take the lead.
When it comes to vegetables, the longer the produce lies on the shelf, the more nutrients they tend to lose. It is therefore more nutritionally sound to consume vegetables the moment they are harvested. In the era of farming, this is exactly what they did, benefitting from the process of the cycle of harvest to plate. Many of us now enjoy city living so this is not always practical. The cycle of harvest to plate now has a middle man by the name of supermarket where produce lies on the shelf often without even a look in. The longer they are ignored, the more nutrients are lost.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of their season, blanched and are then snap frozen preserving the nutrients at the same time. Fresh fruits and vegetables are best eaten at first pick. A home grown vegetable patch is the best option of all. You know exactly when they are picked and what synthetic chemicals, if any have been used. Markets are another way to get your fresh vegetables with reassurance they have not been kept in store rooms therefore protecting their nutrient content.
The following is a guide to freezing food:
- Red Meat – 12 months
- Poultry – six months
- Pork – six months
- Vegetables – six months
- Seafood – three months
