Download When Fresh is Not Available

WHEN FRESH IS NOT AVAILABLE
Kathy Kent
[email protected]
630-302-3470
OCTOBER 2, 2012
What Are Your Choices:
FRESH
WHY is fresh best?
LOCAL
NOT LOCAL
STORED
SHELF LIFE
DEHYDRATED
FROZEN
SHELF LIFE
CANNED
HOME CANNED
STORE BOUGHT CANNED
When vegetables are in-season, buy them fresh and
ripe. “Off-season,” frozen vegetables will give you a
high concentration of nutrients. Choose packages
marked with a USDA “U.S. Fancy” shield, which
designates produce of the best size, shape and color;
vegetables of this standard also tend to be more
nutrient-rich than the lower grades “U.S. No. 1” or
“U.S. No. 2.” Eat them soon after purchase: over
many months, nutrients in frozen vegetables do
inevitably degrade.
Fresh offers more nutrients
Processing kills essential vitamins and nutrients
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NUTRITIONAL
VALUE
Fiber
Vitamin A/carotenes
Folate
Vitamin C
MEAT
Beef
Chicken
Pork
Fish
VEGETABLES
Green Leafy
Tomatoes
Beans
Summer Squash
Winter Squash
Peas
Garlic
FRUITS
Apples
Pears
Oranges
Bananas
Berries
issue, date
FRESH
CANNED
0% loss
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
80% loss
Better
Good
Excellent
Lost but retained in
water
Age of meat
Protein is not
destroyed by heat
Organic
processing –
therefore a good
option
Where did they Added sodium
come from?
Added sugar
When were
they picked?
Fruits that are
canned are often
If they
picked at the peak
travelled from
of ripeness,
far away, they therefore have
were probably highest nutrients.
picked while
However, canning
not ripe,
requires extreme
therefore have heat, which kills
less nutrients.
some nutrients.
Additional heating
kills even more.
FROZEN
DEHYDRATED
40% loss
Good
Okay
Not sure
Good
3-4% loss
Good
Not sure
Excellent
Excellent
Age of meat, some
nutrients can be
destroyed
Picked at peak of
ripeness
Flash blanched to
prevent loss of
nutrients during
freeze.
Often better than
fresh (when fresh is
not picked ripe –
but underripe and
allowed to ripen in
the store or in
transit.)
Retains all
nutrients except
for water.
Air might
damage over
time, therefore
seal in airtight
container.
When reheating,
steam
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lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
 Dietary Fiber � Many fruits and vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber. The
canning process does not affect fiber content, making them comparable to fresh and frozen
varieties. In fact, the heating process appears to make the fiber more soluble and, therefore,
more useful to the body.
 Vitamin A Many canned fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin A. Since little of the
vitamin is lost during the canning process, canned products have vitamin A levels similar to
their fresh and frozen counterparts. In some cases, such as canned pumpkin, the vitamin A
levels actually are higher.
 Carotenes Vitamin A is present in many fruits and vegetables as carotenes and
antioxidants that provide protection for the body’s cells. Tomatoes, in particular, contain an
important carotenoid called lycopene, which appears to be effective in cancer prevention.
Some analyses show lycopene is effective when consumed after it is heated or canned.
 Folate Beans are an excellent source of folic acid, which recent studies indicate plays a
critical role during pregnancy. Folate holds up well during the canning process, making
them similar to dried varieties that are cooked from scratch.
 Vitamin C Apricots, asparagus, oranges, grapefruits, pineapple, strawberries, spinach
and tomatoes are all significant sources of vitamin C. Although small amounts of the
vitamin are lost during heat treatment, most of what is lost ends up in the liquid in which the
product is packed. The vitamin C retained after canning remains stable during the one to
two-year shelf life of the canned product.
 Protein Canned poultry and fish are considered protein foods and are comparable to their
fresh-cooked counterparts in nutritional value, since protein is not affected by heat
treatment. This makes the canned varieties convenient alternatives to fresh-cooked, since
they require much less preparation time.
The
University of
Illinois
Department
of Food
Science and
Human
Nutrition
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