Which Is Better for Your Body: Canned or Frozen Vegetables?

Everyone knows that eating fresh vegetables is the best way to ensure that you get the right nutrition.  However, it’s not always possible to get fresh veggies – time factors, location, lack of a nearby farmer’s market or grocery store and many other elements can make this impossible. 

This leaves you with the question of canned vegetable options versus frozen vegetables.  Which are better for you?

Canned vegetables have been around for decades – so much so that they have become ubiquitous.  However, in the battle of fresh versus frozen vegetables, frozen wins out every time over canned veggies.  Why is this?  There are several reasons that you should choose a bag of frozen veggies over a can on your next trip to the store.

First, canned vegetables have lower nutritional content.  This is because they have been cooked during the canning process.  Frozen vegetables are better for you.  Canned vegetables also have higher sodium content, a side effect of the canning process.  In addition, new research is showing that canned vegetables can have somewhat high levels of PCBs, which can affect health significantly.

Frozen vegetables also lead canned options in terms of taste, as well.  Canned veggies are usually limp and tasteless, and certainly don’t do your palate any favors.  It’s simpler and easier to make a great tasting dish with frozen vegetables.  These can be steamed or stir fried to yield crisp, delightful flavor that is very close to what you’ll find with fresh vegetables.

Therefore, the undisputed winner in the contest is frozen – leave the canned veggies on the store shelf.