Which is healthier, frozen or fresh fruit?
Do you ever drive or cycle past one of those roadside stalls, or a farm sign saying that fresh fruit is being sold? Go and get some immediately! That’s where the most nutrients are, when it has just been harvested. And do you know how the nutrients in frozen fruit compare with those in fresh fruit from the supermarket?
At our house, there is always frozen fruit in the freezer (which really needs to be defrosted again, sigh). We make smoothies with it, and when it comes to cherries and mango pieces, I like leaving them in a bowl for ten minutes and then eating them ice-cold, just like that. And the answer to the question of whether frozen fruit is just as healthy as fresh fruit is reassuring.
Fresh versus fresh
First, as consumer research programme Keuringsdienst van Waarde explains, a distinction can be made between fresh and ‘fresh’. Truly fresh means almost immediately after harvesting. If that happens when the fruit is truly ripe, it contains the maximum amount of healthy substances.
‘Fresh’ fruit sold in supermarkets is generally picked long before it is fully ripe, so that it can continue to ripen during transport and storage. However, if it is taken from the tree or plant before it is fully ripe, it will never reach its maximum amount of nutrients. Because more time passes between harvesting and sale, nutrients are more likely to be lost.
Making the most of its potential
Fruit intended for freezing is only picked when it is fully ripe. Within a few hours, it is washed, cut, frozen and packaged, meaning that almost nothing is lost in terms of vitamins. While frozen, fewer vitamins are lost than in fruit that is not frozen. But there is one important thing to know: the best storage temperature for preserving all those vitamins and minerals is at least -18 degrees.
If that is the case, frozen fruit is therefore slightly healthier than ‘fresh’ fruit from the supermarket. And with fruit straight from the tree or plant, you are making the healthiest choice of all. The same story applies to frozen vegetables; you can read about that in this article!
Also read:
- Fruit flies: 8 tips for getting rid of them in a flash
- Why does a refrigerator have a light, but a freezer doesn’t
- Why I can never make a (normal) smoothie again
Source: Keuringsdienst van Waarde
