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No More Cans! Fresh is the Way to Go!
Buying
food items in cans lack in nutrition and are usually loaded with salt
and preservatives in today’s food markets. The process of freshness
goes from fresh fruits and vegetables, to frozen foods, and down to
canned foods. Last on the list, these canned items are slowly becoming
a thing of the past.
When the canned foods go through the
cooking process, this heating process destroys about one-third to
one-half of the vitamins A and C, riboflavin and thiamin. And then the
sit on the shelves as they are stored, losing an additional 5% to 20% .
But the remaining vitamins only decrease their values slightly.
A
lot of produce when picked for harvest will begin to lose some of its
nutrients. If it is handled properly and canned quickly, it can be more
than or as nutritious as fresh fruit or vegetable. This fresh
produce will lose half or more of its vitamins with the first two
weeks: but if not kept chilled or preserved, the fresh vegetable or
fruit will lose nearly half of its vitamins within the first few
days. The average consumer is advised to eat a variety of
food
types each day as compared to only one type of food.
The thing
to remember is everything depends on the time between the harvesting
and the canning and freeing process. Generally, the vegetables are
picked immediately and taken to canning or freezing divisions when
their nutrient contact is at its peak. How the food is canned affects
the nutrient value also. Vegetables boiled for longer than necessary
and in large amounts of water lose much of their nutritional value as
compared to those only lightly steamed.
When we pick fresh
vegetables or fruit at the farm, they are always more nutritious than
canned or frozen – this is a fact. If you cannot buy fresh, at least
buy frozen...
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