The answer to this question may come as a surprise. To be frank though, the answer is: well, it depends. In general, American eat only a third of the recommend nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. And in all honesty, given these current diet statistics, any vegetable is better that none.
With specific regard to whether or not fresh or frozen is better for you, the answer is a function of season. During winter, fresh produce is limited, as weather makes these precious sources of energy less available. This lack of supply forces consumers to use other sources of vegetables, i.e. canned or frozen vegetables.
Canned vegetables tend to lose their nutrients during the process of preservation, but frozen ones do indeed hold their nutrition value better than one might think. The reason is that frozen vegetables are chosen when they are at peak ripeness, meaning that it is at a time when the vegetable is most full of nutrients.
After they are heated in order to clean germs, or disease, they are frozen for preservation. The freezing process actually holds the nutrients in for a good amount of time. It is also during this time that the fresh vegetables that are chosen for the produce aisle are picked prematurely for the retail market. Their nutrition content is thus less than what would be ideal.
So, fresh versus frozen? Use fresh vegetables during the spring and summer, and frozen ones during the winter. For more information visit
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