Frozen Veg - a Path to 5 A Day?

Frozen fruit and veg are often seen as a poor relation of their fresh counterparts. Perhaps it's because they are tarred with the same brush as the chicken nuggets, pizza and ice cream that are found in the same aisles in the supermarket and people assume that any frozen food can't be good for you? However, far to the contrary, frozen fruit and veg can actually be better nutritionally for you, as their vitamin content is often significantly higher. You don't know how long it is since the fresh produce was picked, with levels of Vitamin C and B vitamins depleting with time, but with much fruit and veg being frozen within hours of harvest you are safe in the knowledge that their vitamin content is preserved as soon as they are frozen.

Not only that, but frozen versions of fruit and veg have a number of other advantages. They tend to be cheaper, are already prepared for you, can be used in the quantity that you require and won't spoil. As cost, time constraints and difficulties in using them before they are past their best are all reasons that people commonly give for not eating more fruit and veg, keeping our freezers stocked with a supply might be a good way to boost the nation's fruit and veg intake.

The range of fruit and veg available now is vast, so no longer do you have to limit yourself to peas, carrots, broccoli and summer fruit; whether you need spinach for a curry, peppers for a stir-fry, mango for a smoothie or rhubarb for a crumble, the freezer can come to your rescue.


Photo by Denoyelle via Wikimedia Commons