Week 13 – Fresh or Frozen. The Vegetable Debate

It’s been a long-standing debate about what’s best, fresh or frozen vegetables. Regardless of the form vegetables come in, vegetables contain many important nutrients – vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.  Unfortunately, less than 9% of adults are eating the recommended 5 serves of vegetables per day. Many people believe that frozen is less nutritious than fresh vegetables.

So, is there a difference between fresh and frozen vegetables? I’m here to tell you that choosing frozen has surprisingly great benefits.

Frozen vegetables loose fewer nutrients

Frozen vegetables are often chosen at their peak ripeness and snapped frozen within hours. This captures the vegetables when they are most nutrient dense. Recent research has found some frozen vegetables contain more antioxidants such as vitamin C, polyphenols, beta carotene and lutein compared to fresh varieties stored in the fridge for three days. Keeping in mind that boiling frozen or fresh vegetables may cause the nutrients to leech out, so stick with steaming or baking.

Frozen vegetables are more widely available

Another benefit of frozen vegetables is they are more widely available and can be purchased at various price points in and out of season. Fresh in season vegetables are often cheaper however can be harder to find out of season and come with a healthy price tag.

Frozen vegetables save on waste

Of recent Australians have become more aware of our household waste. Old and rotten vegetables from the crisper make up a large portion of this, so consuming more frozen vegetables can reduce the waste as they can be stored for months.

While frozen vegetables maintain maximum nutrient levels, there are many benefits to eating fresh too. However at the end of the day, the only bad way to consume vegetables is not consuming enough.

Frozen vegetables work best in cooked dishes like casseroles, stir-fries, pasta, soups, quinoa dishes and the humble savoury mince.

See below for one of my family favourite quinoa dishes.

THIS WEEK’S RECIPE: Quinoa hot pot using frozen vegetables

Written by Alissa Larrescy and Brady Schulz (Accredited Practising Dietitians, Accredited Nutritionists, Advanced Accredited Sports Dietitian from Healthy Lifestyles Australia)