Somewhere along the way, frozen vegetables got a bad rep, and this preconceived notion that they are less nutritious than their fresh counterparts, is complete and utter nonsense.
While there is a misconception that frozen vegetables are not healthy because they may contain more sodium or less water than fresh vegetables, this is not the case. In fact, frozen vegetables provide an alternative to fresh produce and are made with the same ingredients. They are typically processed at their peak of freshness, so they have fewer natural sugars, no added salt and minimal fatty content.
It was Clarence Birdseye – the American inventor of the “quick-frozen” technique – who made frozen food tastier and widely accessible to all consumers. Back in the 1920s, Birdseye copied the Inuit people living in Alaska and who use to preserve fish by quickly freezing them, thereby averting the formation of large crystals and maintain the taste of their food.
In truth, frozen veggies are as healthy as fresh ones. They are just as nutritious, just as fresh, and frozen quickly after being harvested to help conserve their nutrients. And contrary to popular belief, they do not contain added sugar or salt; they just taste better than their fresh counterparts because they retain more of their original flavor without any preservatives.
Frozen veggies should be drained before eating them to ensure that no excess water is consumed. Moreover, there are so many different use cases for these types of produce, whereas you can incorporate them in your soup, risotto, and casserole, among others. You do not always have to cook store-bought frozen veggies – as opposed to common belief – but how you cook them without a doubt depends on what kind of food you’re looking to make.
Furthermore, it is generally accepted that frozen vegetables ought to be defrosted before cooking them. Guess what? That is also a myth! Defrosting these food items can cause loss in flavor as well as in nutrients. Surprised much? Well, the complete truth is that frozen veggies may lose some vitamins throughout the process of defrosting them, but only if the rules of defrosting were not respected.
Last but not least, many seem to believe that frozen vegetables are more expensive than fresh ones, when they’re actually cheaper due to ease of preparation and lower transportation and storage costs. Above and beyond, fresh veggies witness an increase in price during the winter season, whilst frozen ones do not see any change in price all year round.
For too long, we’ve overlooked these seemingly “shocking” truths about frozen vegetables, saying they’re not as nutritious, not as healthy, and that they cost more. But many of these held beliefs are actually nothing more than myths! Now that you’ve learned the truth, it’s time to hit the frozen food aisles where a whole new world of healthy, convenient, and affordable frozen vegetables awaits you.