Fresh, Frozen, or Canned: Does it matter for your mental health?
Are there nutritional differences between fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables? Does it matter for your mental health? Here’s what we know without a doubt, we need to eat fruits and vegetables to support our mental health. Here’s an extremely recent quote from the CDC website: “in 2019, 12.3% and 10.0% or surveyed adults met fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, respectively. Meeting fruit intake recommendations was highest among Hispanic adults (16.4%) and lowest among males (10.1%). Meeting vegetable intake recommendations was highest among adults aged >51 years (12.5%) and lowest among adults with low income (6.8%).” So clearly we have some work we need to do. Let’s take a look at the current research about nutritional differences between fresh, frozen, and canned produce and what really matters in terms of our mental health.
Nutritional Differences
It’s important to mention that many factors affect the nutritional status of a given food. The quality in produce, including enzyme activity, mechanical damage, processing steps, as well as the soil that the produce was grown in, all effect the nutrition status of a fruit or vegetable. Many of the studies analyzing fresh and frozen produce have been conducted to look at levels of specific nutrients and their changes over time. Most of the research indicates some slight nutritional differences between fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables with regards to specific nutrients such as Vitamin C and folate, but many of the studies indicate that these differences are small and likely yield no significant changes for our health.
For example, Favell (1998) compared the vitamin C content of fresh and frozen vegetables, including peas, green beans, broccoli, carrots, and spinach and found that for all 13 vegetables, the vitamin C level in the commercially quick-frozen products is equal to or better than that in the ‘market fresh’. In another analysis, Puupponen-Pimiä et al. (2003) found that storage at -20 °C for 18 months of frozen peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach had minimal effects on folate levels.
In an another analysis Li (2010) selected 8 fruits and vegetables for nutrient analyses (blueberries, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, green beans, spinach, and green peas) and measured the levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate. When comparing these nutrient levels in fresh, fresh-stored (which was defined as fresh produce stored in the refrigerator for 5 days), and frozen fruits and vegetables, no significant difference were determined between the selected nutrient contents in fresh and frozen products as well as fresh-stored. Some minor nutritional differences were discovered in the analysis. For example, the folate contents in both fresh and frozen corn were found to be significantly greater than that of fresh-stored corn.
There can also be some nutritional differences in fruits and vegetables once these foods are cooked and dependent on their exact cooking methods. For example, folate is a nutrient that is very affected by cooking methods. A study in the U.K. by McKillop et al. (2002) of raw and cooked foods found that typical boiling times resulted in 49% retention of folate in spinach and 44% in broccoli. While, steaming spinach or broccoli resulted in no significant decrease in folate content. While this seems like a large decrease, changing up the ways you consume these foods will ultimately cancel out these reductions if you are consuming them on a semi regular basis.
Generally speaking the research indicates that fresh and canned foods contain similar quantities of most fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and fiber. There is some evidence that some nutrient and bioactive losses occur during the canning process specifically, but there is also evidence to the contrary. For example, processed tomatoes have higher β-carotene levels compared to fresh tomatoes. What’s more important here to consider is ultimately, what will help you increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. This means considering important factors like access to these foods, cost, and sustainability in terms of health practices.
Frozen and Canned Reign Supreme when it comes to Consumption
A 2015 paper highlights the importance of increasing our nutrient intake by the specific use of canned foods. This study’s aim was to compare nutrient intake between frequent use of canned food (defined as consuming 6 or more times in a two week period) vs. infrequent use (defined as consuming 2 or less canned foods in a two week period). The data they used were gathered from self report measures which included nutritional diaries where individuals recorded the food that was eaten for a period of 2 weeks. The food diary data reflected the diets from a variety of age groups including children, adolescents, and adults. Here is a quote from the results section of the paper: “A comparison of food group intake between infrequent and frequent canned food consumers (FCU) showed that the FCU group had significantly higher average daily intake of the four primary nutrient-dense food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein foods.” AND that the “FCU group consumed on average 30.3% more servings of fruit, 21.4% more servings of vegetables, 18.2% more servings of milk, yogurt and cheese, and 8.5% more servings of protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, poultry, beans, eggs, and nuts.” This means that with the use of canned foods, these individuals were able to increase the nutrient intake of a variety of important vitamins and minerals that support mental health and well being. The authors go on to state that the individuals in the FCU group were able to achieve the Recommended Dietary Allowance (ADA) of 16 different nutrients and fibers, as well as fat soluble and water soluble vitamins. These results are clear! More frequent canned food use was associated with higher nutrient intake as well as healthier overall eating patterns.
Canned foods, including vegetables, fruits, fish and beans provide nutrients at a lower or comparable cost compared to fresh, frozen or dried options, demonstrating that cost-effective, accessible, and nutrient-dense food options can be available in for those struggling financially. Many of the individuals in the FCU group from the paper above were using government assistance programs to access these foods. These programs are essential to help millions of Americans have access to safe and healthy food. Simply put, canned foods are a way to get many essential nutrients at affordable prices.
Bottom Line
Eating more fruits and veggies supports our mental health and well being. And from what I can tell, the nutritional differences that exist between fresh, frozen, and canned produce and foods is minimal. The canned food consumption study above speaks volumes in that consuming more of these foods will provide you with more of the nutrients that we need to support our mental health. Any increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by any means is a win. This is why it is important to recognize that the consumption of nutrient-dense canned and frozen foods are a viable, usually more sustainable, and cost effective way to contribute to the overall nutritional quality of your diet. If you prefer to eat fresh produce, have at it. But if you find yourself throwing most of that away at the end of the week, consider purchasing frozen and canned alternatives. They are not only less expensive, but will last you a heck of a lot longer and still support your overall health.
References
https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/li_linshan_201312_ms.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157517300418
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.636.13
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814697001659
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.1589
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4517017/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019743/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7831325/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5293796/
