by Rower Girl

Created on: April 20, 2009   Last Updated: May 04, 2009

Most busy people today do not always have the time to go into the kitchen and REALLY COOK, let alone steam, saute, or bake fresh vegetables. Most just reach for the bag of frozen peas or lima beans, zap it in the microwave, and it's on the table in 5 minutes.

Sounds too good to be true, right? And way less healthy than fresh? Wrong. In fact, since frozen vegetables are flash-frozen pretty much right after they are picked from the field (and washed), they actually retain more nutrients than fresh vegetables.

Now, I am not putting down fresh vegetables, and as a self-proclaimed health freak, I say get them when you can and eat as much as you want. However, fresh vegetables, not being flash-frozen, often sit out on grocery store and produce stand shelves for prolonged periods of time and the longer they sit, they begin to lose many of the valuable nutrients that make them so good for you. So you actually would need to eat MORE fresh vegetables than frozen ones to get the same amount of wholesome nutrients you need.

A second reason to be loving frozen vegetables is that they most likely have less pesticides on them before you buy them than the fresh ones. It is true that the majority of fruits and vegetables grown in the world, that are not organic, have been sprayed continuously with pesticides throughout the growing season. But after they are picked, most fresh vegetables are only washed slightly to rinse off noticeable particles before being shipped to stores around the world. Frozen vegetables on the other hand, are washed more thoroughly before being frozen, packed, and shipped. So really frozen vegetables probably only need a short rinse in the sink before being ready for cooking. Just make sure that with both fresh and frozen vegetables that they are washed in warm or hot water to kill off all germs that may have been lurking in them.

Frozen vegetables not only save you time in the kitchen but are also lighter on your wallet, which is good during the current recession. As demand for fresher food goes up, fresh vegetables whether organic or not are becoming more and more expensive. Frozen vegetables are not. So they are a great staple to buy to both feed your family healthier food, but also save you money in the long term. They also last much longer than fresh vegetables and do not rot as easily.

And now for the best part of this entire piece: frozen vegetables are available all year-round. Unlike fresh vegetables which one often has to wait for prolonged periods of time to buy out of season from places like Chile or Mexico, frozen vegetables are always available in just about any local food store!

Frozen vegetables are a consumer's best friend. Whether you are looking for an easier way to get more veggies into your diet and be less wasteful of rotting food, or just a more economically friendly, yet nutritious alternative to fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables are the best choice in every way!

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