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Are canned vegetables as healthy as fresh ones?
Results so far:
| Yes | 26% | 166 votes | Total: 641 votes | |
| No | 74% | 475 votes |
Yes
by Sapphire Magpie Ravenclaw
Created on: April 21, 2008
Yes, in the main, canned vegetables are just as healthy (or at least almost) as fresh ones. Also, frozen vegetables are healthy too. Sometimes, depending on how quickly they have been frozen, the frozen vegetables can be the most healthy option of the three.
It may well be that certain brands of some vegetables may be of less nutritional value when canned as certain others which are fresh. In general though, the true nutritional value of any vegetable is mainly dependent on the way that it is cooked. For example, if you cook vegetables until they are very soft, then much of their nutritional value, including the vitamins associated with them, may be lost. There may be the idea with the canned vegetables that, because they are often already softened before being put inside the can, that they can not possibly be as healthy as fresh vegetables. While this may be true in some cases, the fact still remains that canned vegetables do still hold plenty of nutritional value and, when cooked correctly, are just as healthy as fresh vegetables.
There is also the matter of the liquid which is used to store the vegetables in their cans. If this is brine, it may lead to their being more salt in the vegetables as it is absorbed but then many people add salt into their cooking when using fresh vegetables. Of course, we could use the argument of whether or not someone did use extra salt, the fact that it would be a choice and a matter of taste with fresh vegetables rather than a matter of fact with canned vegetables because the salt is already there and, while the brine can be removed and replaced with water, any salt which has already been absorbed by the vegetables can not now be removed.
The way vegetables are stored, ie. fresh, canned or frozen., may possibly go some way towards making a little difference in nutritional value and how healthy a vegetable is but generally, it is all down to the way the vegetables are cooked. If vegetables are boiled and left to turn into pulp, the nutritional value will be lost unless you use the water because that is where the nutrients will be and that will be no different between, nor dependent upon, whichever storage method has been used. Canned vegetables simply need less time to cook than other vegetables in order not to lose the same amount of nutrients.
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No
by Henri Zimand
Created on: February 08, 2009 Last Updated: May 01, 2010
Canned vegetables are never as healthy as fresh vegetables even though in some cases they could be.
Fresh vegetables are nutritionally better when used within a few days that they were picked. Fresh vegetables are not always available and therefore it is a fairly good substitute to have from time to time canned vegetables. The interesting facts about canned vegetables are that although they loose some of the vitamins their nutrition facts remain.
When vegetables have to go through a process, the more they go though the more they loose and also some additives are added to preserve these vegetables, like sodium, preservatives, sugar and flavoring. Cooking the vegetables at too high temperatures can kill some of the nutrients.
One of the ingredients that you need to avoid as much as possible is salt. Look in canned vegetables that no salt has been added.
Just look at vegetable juices, when you take them immediately and make juices they keep their juice, their freshness, the oxygen has had no time to take away the freshness and nutrients of the vegetables and therefore of course it is much better.
Of course we have two kinds of fresh vegetables that can be found the regular ones and the organic ones. The organic vegetables being of course much healthier. Remember also that canning and bagging takes some of the health giving benefits.
The interesting point that has been found is that frozen vegetables might even be better than fresh vegetables because they are picked when the vegetables are ripe and have more nutrients and vitamins. Fresh vegetables are picked when they are still young.
Now it also depends how you cook your vegetables to keep a maximum of nutrients and vitamins. Now it also depends how you cook your vegetables to keep a maximum of nutrients and vitamins. When you steam your vegetables instead of cooking and boiling them in water you will save a maximum of vitamins and nutrients.
One of the interesting tests to do is to look at fresh and canned vegetables and compare them. Take some examples and touch them and taste them and you will see how different they are and also often the taste can be slightly different. Also fresh vegetables will be crispy while canned will be soft.
Another important factor is that you should buy enough vegetables that will no last beyond two days because the longer the vegetables remain home the less fresh they will be, because the air and oxygen break down over time.
So if you look at certain details of course fresh vegetables are much better than canned vegetables.
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