Fresh or Frozen…
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
April 11, 2010 10:40am CST
I was watching a program the other day that had to do with cooking and something that I heard on there made me stop and think. The person asked a group of cooks which was healthier and had more nutrients…fresh produce or frozen. Now, I always thought that fresh was the way to go…I guess b/c my Dad is a farmer, I just always thought fresh was better, which it is if you get it straight from the farm yourself.
However, after researching it more it seems that it may not be. Produce may be picked fresh but it often sits out in the sun during the day until it’s loaded onto trucks to be taken to the stores or shipped. Also the trucks are supposed to be scrubbed down after each load to prevent bacteria spreading but some don’t. After it’s sat around most of the day out in the sun (with flies possibly landing on it) it’s taken to stores where it’s sometimes stored in a cooler if it’s not put out right away. In other words, some of your “fresh” produce may be up to a week or more old.
Frozen on the other hand is usually picked and frozen right away. It’s transported in refrigerated trucks and is usually put right into the frozen food cases at the store or at least stored in a large store freezer. According to what I’ve found, frozen foods are actually better for ppl then the fresh.
Which one would you think is healthier for you? Would you buy more frozen then you would fresh? Do you buy more fresh or frozen fruits and veggies?
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~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]19 people like this
65 responses
@assinertata (288)
• Philippines
11 Apr 10
It's interesting. I haven't thought of its difference and I am glad to learn it from here. In our farm though, we directly eat them after harvest. Taste wise, of course it's better than frozen ones. It really gives out its natural taste. However, I agree that if it's already passed on to and from different people and transportation, It could get different bacterias/elements that might cause some health problems, while if frozen, all the possible bacterias can be killed by so much coldness.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
11 Apr 10
I've read about this, too. It set my mind at ease about buying frozen vegetables.
I solve the problem by patronizing my local farm's market and also by growing my own vegetables. This year I will be canning, drying and freezing a lot of it in anticipation of much high grocery prices.
1 person likes this
@zim1fW (285)
• Philippines
18 Apr 10
What needs to be taken into account when going for frozen fruits is that you cannot refreeze them once they thaw because their physical integrity tend to disintegrate during the first thawing. You have to consume it; so that means you have to thaw only enough for you to consume in that setting. If you purchase frozen fruits from grocery stores, make sure that it does not thaw thoroughly when you reach home so you can still refreeze them without so much changing their physical features.
@GardenGerty (160488)
• United States
11 Apr 10
I have been buying more frozen foods because I waste less. I tended at times to forget to take care of and use my "fresh" stuff and it would spoil in the fridge. The frozen stuff is still frozen when I get to it and it tastes good. Our local grocery has some fantastic store brand blends and it runs really good specials on them all the time. I tend to keep a freezer shelf or two full of frozen vegetables and fruits.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Apr 10
I find buying a lot of fresh foods to be self-defeating too. Like buying celery. I might use a bit to chop up for a tuna sandwich, but only one stalk---they're just so many sandwiches I can make before using all the celery. Same with lettuce and now since I'm on my own these near four years it just doesn't make sense for me to buy a lot of fresh produce
@reckon21 (3479)
• Philippines
11 Apr 10
Your topic is really an eye opener. I always thought that fresh fruits and vegetables are more better than the process or frozen foods. The way you describe the way the fresh foods arrives in the market is way too detailed and telling me that those are not so fresh at all just the way I believed it should be.
But even do you have told us why frozen foods is much clean and safer than the fresh one. I will still patronize buying fresh foods because I am accustomed of buying it.
I do buy frozen foods but not always.
1 person likes this
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
11 Apr 10
Frozen sit out until they are hauled to the processor. I think to say that they sit out in sun all day is a bit of an embellishment. Fresh produce you buy from farmers market are put out the same day they are harvested.
1 person likes this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
11 Apr 10
Excellent topic! This is something I haven't really given a lot of thought to, but now that you've brought it up, I agree with a lot of what you say, especially where veggies are concerned, especially the non-root ones. Many vegetables and fruits are actually picked before they are ripe, simply because they transport easier (more resistant to shipping damage while 'green'), and they ripen while in transit. Vegetables grown for freezing are usually picked at the peak of their flavor, and then flash-frozen. The freezing process is so much better than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Before the flash-freezing process was perfected, the flavors and textures were damaged by the freezing process.
Personally, for many veggies, the flavor of the frozen is superior to the fresh, especially if one resists the ones with added sauces and flavorings. The exception is produce bought at farmers markets, where small farmers bring in fresh, recently harvested items for sale. The condition of the truck doesn't bother me much, since I wash everything. I do like fresh-harvested corn and tomatoes. I can't hardly drive by a stand in front of some one's house without stopping.
For fruit, I still prefer fresh, even though I know it may have lost flavor in transit. Because fruits contain so much water, freezing (even flash-freezing) seems to make them mushy.
1 person likes this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
11 Apr 10
Excellent topic! This is something I haven't really given a lot of thought to, but now that you've brought it up, I agree with a lot of what you say, especially where veggies are concerned, especially the non-root ones. Many vegetables and fruits are actually picked before they are ripe, simply because they transport easier (more resistant to shipping damage while 'green'), and they ripen while in transit. Vegetables grown for freezing are usually picked at the peak of their flavor, and then flash-frozen. The freezing process is so much better than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Before the flash-freezing process was perfected, the flavors and textures were damaged by the freezing process.
Personally, for many veggies, the flavor of the frozen is superior to the fresh, especially if one resists the ones with added sauces and flavorings. The exception is produce bought at farmers markets, where small farmers bring in fresh, recently harvested items for sale. The condition of the truck doesn't bother me much, since I wash everything. I do like fresh-harvested corn and tomatoes. I can't hardly drive by a stand in front of some one's house without stopping.
For fruit, I still prefer fresh, even though I know it may have lost flavor in transit. Because fruits contain so much water, freezing (even flash-freezing) seems to make them mushy.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Apr 10
Yes, frozen berries especially have a yucky texture, & I'm not crazy about the flavor, either. I guess they're okay in cakes, breads, or maybe smoothies, but otherwise? Give me fresh!
Maggiepie
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@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
12 Apr 10
I watched Jamie Oliver's show the other day. He is the British chef who went to Huntington, West Virginia, that is where America's most obese people live. He teaches people how to cook healthy and just last week he mentioned that frozen veggies have all the nutrients of fresh veggies.
I think it comes down to personal preferences. I prefer frozen corn and peas. There is rarely an opportunity to buy and shell fresh peas and as far as the corn is concerned as soon as it is picked the sugar in corn converts to starch making it less tasty. So unless I get corn that was picked that morning I prefer the frozen kind. As far as green and yellow beans, carrots, spinach, beets and squashes are concerned I prefer the fresh kind.
1 person likes this
@34momma (13882)
• United States
12 Apr 10
i do both. i always buy bags of frozen veggies. i buy fresh veggies once a week to take to work to make my salads for lunch. i do the frozen veggies for dinner at home with my family. I think both are very important and good for you, but if frozen is better i am already doing that anyway
1 person likes this
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
11 Apr 10
The frozen sit in the sun all day also until they are hauled to the processor, arn't they? So it really does not make much difference if one is going to use it right away then use fresh when you can. Frozen will last longer if it is frozen right away after harvest.
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
11 Apr 10
That is interesting, though I still rather have fresh. And of course the absolute best is if you can grow your own, not chemicals to worry about and you can pick them right before you eat/cook them..
@elitess (5070)
• Ipswich, England
12 Dec 10
Hello Twoey
Well fruits i generally eat fresh, but wash before (especially for those that i eat with the exterior lair like apples, pears etc).
As for vegetables, frozen are more easy to prepare through boiling, but i eat some fresh from time to time as well, in the season more often, as off season they tend to increase up to 5 times or more in price.
@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
12 Apr 10
I stand by my believe in fresh foods. I Agree with you completely in the way they are handled, hence the importance of Washing your produce before using it, including melons.
During harvest, I buy direct from farms. Frozen, many times is pasteurized, thus, leaching all of the nutrients out of the vegetable. So, this is why I choose fresh over frozen. Both have good and bad points to consider though.
With appreciation.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
2 Sep 10
This is some interesting information and now after reading it this way, it almost makes me stop and think twice before wanting to buy some of the Fresh vegetables. I know there are some stores it is obvious it is not Fresh, but to think Frozen might be better for you, I would have to really check this out. But thanks for sharing this with us.
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
3 Nov 10
Fresh is healthier as it keeps the qualities much easier than frozen food. People just to buy frozen because it's cheaper and that's the case for myself, although there's certain types that my wife doesn't like frozen. Sweet corn she prefers in tins, rather than frozen. It's funny how we won't buy fresh with certain things because it costs more but when you really dislike frozen types you buy fresh. I want to go to a local butcher but my wife's put off by this :)
@scififan43 (2434)
• United States
2 Sep 10
Yes they stay better forozen. I would befer forzen becase I know they would stay preserved better.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
11 Nov 10
Most of what I've heard and therefore most of what I believe to be the case is that fresh and frozen are equally as good for us. That said, in our house, we tend to eat a lot more frozen vegetables than we do fresh produce because of the fact that it is more affordable to buy frozen vegetables than it is to buy fresh produce. The thing that can really take away a lot of the nutrients in food is the way that you prepare it and that said, I tend to do most of my preparations as steamed vegetables.
