[Pink Hurricane]

This is a general question about veggies and fruits that are canned versus frozen or fresh. Is there a nutrional difference between produce that is canned versus fresh produce or frozen producs? When on a really tight budget, especially with produce that are not in season, I find it is easier for me to get them canned versus fresh or frozen. I have checked the labels on the canned ones and they seem to have the same amount of nutrients that frozen produce does.

I just want to make sure before my next grocery trip, and make sure I am not misssing out on much when I have to buy canned instead of fresh or frozen.

Thank you in advance!

[thewalrus0]

I avoid canned vegetables and buy frozen.

I hate veggies from a can. I doubt there's a nutritional difference except that things in cans tend to have extra sodium, which I try to avoid having in excess. (Though it's really really hard!)

Frozen veggies taste better to me. I buy fruit from cans because thawed fruits aren't that great either. I get organic fruit in light juice, since it's tough to find fruit in water. It's not as good as fresh, but I like canned pineapple and cherries. Organic runs about $3 a can here though and might not be what you're looking for.

Nutritionally, be careful with fruit from cans. Watch to see what it's canned in. Heavy syrup? BAD! They will often can fruits with high fructose corn syrup!
Or added sugar.

Just pay really close attention to the labels and the ingredients. That's the best you can do.

[kaplods]

I agree that with both frozen and canned you need to check for added sugar, fat, and salt.

Veggies do start losing nutrition once they're picked, but in some cases, canned fruits and veggies can actually have more nutrients than fresh (if the fresh has taken a while to get to market and isn't so fresh anymore). Canned fruits and vegatbles are picked at the peak of ripeness.

I agree though that fresh and frozen usually taste better. Either way, the nutrition is close enough that it doesn't matter all that much. Eat what you prefer and can afford, and consider it good enough.

In order of preference (flavor and nutrition factors being considered)

local fresh picked (from our local farmers market)
fresh from the grocery store
frozen
canned
dried
fresh veggies that have gone kind of wilty (I never buy fruits and veggies that look this way, but I do sometimes make soup out of starting-to-droop veggies).


I figure though that even the sort of wilty carrots and celery from the bottom of the crisper that go into soup are still better than not eating veggies.

I almost always have fresh, frozen, and canned on hand, because our budget is fairly tight, so we make some compromises. Also for some things one type of process is better than the other. I love bean salad, and I prefer using french-style beans in a can, because fresher beans sometimes get a weird texture in the salad (sort of weird and squeaky). I also like canned beets, because I hate messing with peeling fresh beets.

[juliastl27]

i 3rd the frozen veggies thing. i buy canned pineapples a lot because who wants to deal with a whole pineapple? i just make sure theyre in pineapple juice and not syrup.

[maddy5678]

This is a decent article about the canned vs fresh vs frozen veg debate.

fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/vitamins-in-veggies-fresh-vs-canned-vs-frozen.html

[Kuualoha]

I don't eat canned veggies or fruits because of all of the added sodium and sugars. You can always check the content but even then, I don't like the texture as much or the taste for that matter, it seems like it doesn't even taste like the same veggie or fruit sometimes.

[IanG]

I know this is an old thread but canned has never done me any harm.

Yes, fresh is of course better. But canned is (mostly) cheap* and keeps for ages. You can even take it on trips and camping.

I eat 6-7 cans of fish a day. I eat canned hummus every day. And I often eat canned vegetables too. Canned is simply awesome.

In my opinion, all the concerns are just hype and stigma.

* Interestingly, freshly cooked crab is a lot cheaper than canned crab.

[BlackBoxed]

Not missing out at all! I just compared stats of 1c canned peas, 1c frozen, and looked up 1c fresh and found that they're roughly the same in nutritional value. (1-2g in difference at the most) The only major difference is the amount of sodium, but that's also clear when comparing frozen peas and raw peas too.

I usually look for low sodium. If you want to lessen your sodium even more, rinse veggies in cool water before use. Also, avoid adding extra salt in your cooking. Makes everything more well rounded.

I have no idea about canned meat/fish and fruits, but from what I understand most canned fruit is packed in syrup which is pretty much a no-no. lol

[Wannabehealthy]

I think if canned is what your budget will allow, then by all means, eat them. They might not be as healthy as fresh or frozen, but they are better than not eating vegetables at all.

I am not a big fruit eater, but I will eat some if I buy those little fruit cups they sell in a 4 pack. I drain or rinse whatever they are packed in. I realize that does not get rid of the bad stuff, but I feel that this is preferable to no fruit at all.

[healthnut050]

Try and get the no salt added ones if you can. Just check labels for added ingredients. I usually wait until my store puts frozen veggies on sale and then I stock up!! You can also find coupons for frozen veggies.

[NerdWellness]

Canned fruits and veggies most of the time contain more added sugar,that is why I consume raw or frozen.

[LuvMyMr]

Since I am low carbing I picked up today no sugar added pineapple, pears and string beans also low sodium too. I have been eating them for a while now. No problem and it actually helps me to add more fruit and vegetables to my diet as I never ate them before, ever!