Both fresh and frozen fruit are great additions to your diet. But some fruits may benefit more from being fresh instead of frozen and vice versa. Learn more about how to choose between fresh and frozen fruit.
If you eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, you benefit from such effects as:
When you consider all of the variables, the health benefits of fresh and frozen fruit are very similar. Still, there are some differences that make each one beneficial in unique ways.
If your fresh fruit is truly fresh, the nutrient value may be similar. If your fresh fruit was shipped and sat on store shelves for a while, it may contain fewer nutrients.
Depending on the fruit, some may retain more nutrients frozen while others are better fresh. Nutrients in fruit are at their peak right after being picked. Because fruit is frozen quickly, it retains nutritional value.
Frozen fruit. When fruit is frozen, it is picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen soon after to preserve the optimal nutrition benefits. Frozen fruit often lasts several months and may be more economical than buying fresh fruit that goes bad quicker. With frozen fruit, you can take out as many pieces as you need and leave the rest for next time.
Frozen fruit is also beneficial because it is already prepped for you. It usually comes cleaned and presliced for your convenience. This may save you time when making dishes that contain fruit.
Similarly, frozen fruit is great for adding to yogurt and smoothies. Just grab a handful of strawberry slices, for example, and toss them into your bowl of yogurt or your blender and enjoy your snack. If fruits you love to include in these dishes are out of season, they may still be available frozen.&#;
Fresh fruit. When you choose fresh fruit, it is often in season and more versatile than frozen fruit. Freezing may impact the texture of your fruit when it thaws, but fresh fruit retains its natural texture better.
One benefit to fresh fruit is that you can usually find it when it&#;s in season. There are plenty of food guides online to tell you what's in season and when. By purchasing in-season fruits, you avoid the risk of fruits that rely on fertilizers or additives in order to grow out of season.
Typically, frozen produce retains most of its nutrients, although there may be small variations in nutrient value.
An 80g serving of frozen peas (boiled):
&#; 56kcal / 239KJ
&#; 4.4g protein
&#; 0.6g fat
&#; 9g carbs
&#; 4.7g sugars
&#; 4.4g fibre
&#; 142mg Potassium
&#; 10mg vitamin C
Just like fresh or canned fruit and vegetables, 80g counts as one of your five-a-day. Discover more in our five-a-day infographic.
Frozen fruit and vegetables are almost like-for-like in terms of nutritional value when compared with fresh. There can be slight variations, but the differences are usually negligible &#; for example, cooked-from-frozen peas contain 12mg of vitamin C per 100g, compared to fresh peas which contain 16mg. However, frozen peas have more calcium at 37mg, compared to fresh peas which contain 19mg per 100g. Vegetables are often blanched prior to freezing to prevent browning, this process also retains phyto-nutrients, including carotenoids and flavonoids.
Salt and sugar levels may be a little higher in frozen fruit and vegetables. For example, frozen peas have 5.9g sugar per 100g compared to 1.2g in fresh peas per 100g.
Goto Fortune Foods to know more.
Freezing is a widely used long-term method of preservation that retains many of the attributes associated with freshness, with many considering it a better method of preservation than say canning or drying.
Fruit and vegetables don&#;t require any preservatives or added ingredients when frozen, making freezing a healthy way of extending the life of fresh produce. However, it&#;s worth checking labels of commercially frozen produce to ensure they have no added sugar, salt or other flavourings.
Freezing fresh produce, when in season, is a valuable way to access nutrients like vitamin C during the winter months. Studies suggest people who include frozen produce in their diets tend to eat more fruit and vegetables overall.
Famed for their convenience, frozen fruit and vegetables are typically easier to prepare, with minimal wastage. They don&#;t require washing, peeling or chopping and are fast to cook, making them a healthy and convenient option.
Frozen produce is typically cheaper than its fresh equivalent, especially out of season. There is minimal wastage and you can use the exact amount you need &#; all of which makes frozen produce more cost effective and accessible to more people.
Fruit and vegetables are generally recognised as safe for the majority of people, but some people may experience allergies to certain produce, regardless of whether they are fresh or frozen.
It is not necessary to defrost frozen produce before cooking, but be sure to cook to an internal temperature of about 135C before serving. This is because although fresh produce may be blanched before freezing it may still harbour bacteria, such as Listeria.
Be aware that if you&#;re adding frozen vegetables to a composite dish like a stew or tagine, their addition will lower the temperature of the dish which will, as a result, lengthen the overall cooking time needed.
Read more about food allergies at NHS allergy.
This article was reviewed on 25 February by Kerry Torrens.
Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in personalised nutrition & nutritional therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.
Nicola Shubrook, is a nutritional therapist and works with both private clients and the corporate sector. She is an accredited member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Find out more at urbanwellness.co.uk.
Advertisement
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our terms and conditions for more information.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Are Frozen Fruits And Vegetables As Good As Fresh.