Supplementing with canned fruits, veggies
APART from not being able to have long showers, water our lawns and use water at leisure during a drought, obtaining fresh produce from farmers is usually challenging.
Along with the shortages, the prices are usually very expensive as supply is short, but as fruits and vegetables form an important part of our healthy diet, the question of substituting the fresh ones for the canned variety usually arises. Are they safe? Can we get the same nutritional value from them?
According to nutritionist Donovan Grant, fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than canned fruits and vegetables, but a few studies have shown that canned fruits and vegetables can be almost as nutritious as the fresh ones.
“What happens with fresh fruits and vegetables is that they are usually seasonal and with the drought they become more expensive, so one of the things that we need to do is look at the bigger picture as far as the canned fruits and vegetables versus the fresh ones are concerned,” he said.
“In a general way the fresh ones may be seasonal so they might not necessarily be readily available. You have to consider taste, and the fresh ones taste much better than the canned ones would taste. The texture of the canned ones is also not as good as the fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition to that, the fibre content of the fresh fruits and vegetables is usually higher than the processed ones,” Grant added.
Of note, the nutritionist said once you harvest fruits and vegetables the nutrient content starts going down with time, but with processed foods, wherever the nutrient content is when the processing stops, that’s where it will remain until it’s expired.
“The longer the fresh fruits take to reach to the market is the less nutrients they’re likely to have. Moreso, the fruits that are used for the fresh market are usually picked a little younger and not when they’re fully ripe. When you think about papaya, you pick them a little earlier and put them up for ripening and usually they may not have the full amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. However, those that are canned are usually allowed to be fully matured before they can them,” he explained.
In determining a selection, Grant said one will have to note that canned fruits and vegetables may come with preservatives, additives and sugars, which might not necessarily be good. He said the heating process destroys probably up to a half of some of the important vitamins, so that has to be taken into consideration also.
“In terms of selecting canned foods and vegetables, the idea is to look at the label and choose those (vegetables) with less salt, which might be used as a preservative. What you can do is to drain the can and wash them off with some water, and that will help to get rid of some of the salt and some of the other stuff it might contain. In terms of fruits, it is better to select the canned ones packed in water than the ones packed in syrup or juices, because in that case there might be additional sugars in them.”
Grant maintained that while both are suitable, it’s a matter of making the right selection, but overall if you can have your fruits and vegetables fresh that would be best, but if not, you have no choice but to use the canned ones.
