Veggies: Canned, Frozen, or Fresh?

Quick, which is the most nutritious: canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables? You might think that the obvious answer is fresh, but not so fast. Depending on how long it takes to get the vegetables from the farm to your family's dinner table, the answer may vary.

Your best choice is organic, pesticide-free, just-picked fresh vegetables — they are delicious and nutritious just the way that nature intended them. However, depending on where you live, winter weather has most likely limited your ability to get locally-grown veggies. When it warms back up though, be sure to shop for in-season, locally grown veggies from nearby farmers markets and stands — or grow your own in a garden — to get the healthiest selection. Just buy what you need as close as possible to the time you plan to eat them. That's because the more time that has passed since the veggies were picked, the more they lose their nutritious content. While it's tempting and convenient to stock up, don't!

Frozen organic vegetables are great alternatives to fresh ones, especially in these cold-weather months. The veggies are generally flash frozen immediately after they have been harvested, which is when they are at the peak of their freshness and nutrition. In fact, frozen organic vegetables are a more nutritious choice than "fresh" ones that have traveled across the country to your local grocery store only to sit for days in a produce aisle or those vegetables that you bought and tossed in your refrigerator's bin a week ago.

Canned veggies, however, are the least nutritious of the bunch. While they are canned soon after they are harvested, many veggies lose up to 90 percent of their original nutrition power in the canning process. Also, canned veggies have higher sodium levels because they often have salt added to them. The worse thing about canned veggies is that the cans are lined with plastic that contains the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, which has been linked to insulin resistance, early puberty, prostate cancer, and diabetes. If you still choose to eat veggies out of cans, look for brands that are organic and have no salt added or low salt.

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inally, how you cook your vegetables also plays a part in their nutrient content. All veggies, regardless of whether they are canned, fresh, or frozen, will lose most of their nutrients — and flavor — if they are boiled in large amounts of water over a long period of time. Lightly steam or microwave them to preserve their vitamins instead.