Should You Eat Frozen Veggies& Fruit?
I work a 9–5 job, and all my coworkers know that I’m a vegan. Not because I go around telling them, but because every time there is food at the office I won’t eat it since it’s not vegan-friendly. And of course they all notice.
Because they know I’m vegan, they always ask me a lot of nutrition related questions. All which I am very happy to answer. I would talk about it all day if I could!
About a week ago, a had a conversation with my coworker Marco about frozen vegetables and fruit.
I was telling Marco that he should eat more berries because they can keep you mentally sharp, they have antioxidants, can they can help lower cholesterol levels, among others.
Marco replied, “yeah, I buy them sometimes, but the problem is that they always end up going bad because no one at my house other than me will eat them”.
To which I responded, “you should freeze them”. Marco gave me a look of surprise. And I was surprised that he was surprised at my suggestion.
I realized that he didn’t know the benefits of frozen fruit and veggies.
So rather than keep all this info to just me and Marco, I though I would share it with you also. Here is goes:
- Always available: you can keep your freezer stocked with fruits and veggies, meaning that because they are easily available you are more likely to eat more of them!
- Convenient: most likely they are pre-washed, peeled, and chopped for you already. So if you are a busy-bee like me, this is music to my ears.
- MORE NUTRIENTS: this is a big one! People think that “fresh” fruits and veggies are better than frozen ones. But they have it backwards. Allow me to explain why:
Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when — as a general rule — they are most nutrient-packed.
Fresh fruits and veggies produce enzymes that cause loss of color, flavor, and nutrients just after harvest. And the time it gets to the grocery store, and then to your house, good luck!
But the reaction can be stopped by deactivating the enzyme.
Which freezing can do — meaning that your fruits and veggies will have retained most of their nutrients by the time you are ready to eat them.
Of course this is not always the case, and of course it is better if you grow your own fruit and veggies and you eat them right after you cut them.
But in general, for all of us how are busy and don’t have time to do that, so buying frozen fruits and veggies are our best bet!
To summarize, the key takeaway is to not be afraid to buy frozen fruits and vegetables, because the fact is they most likely have even more nutrients than fresh ones. Win-win!
P.S. Last week I sent out an email about a 5–10 min survey I am hoping you will fill out for me. It’s just 10 easy questions. These questions will help me figure out what are your struggles with losing weight on a vegan diet, and in turn I will be able to provide you with content more suitable to your needs. If you haven’t had the chance to fill it out, please CLICK HERE or go here:
