by Sophie Pelham-Burn NMEDSCI, ANUTR
Ideally for health purposes (and environmental) we want to try to eat locally seasonal where possible, and include globally seasonal foods to add a little extra variety and make sure we’re getting a good range of colourful foods throughout the week. There are some exceptions that make that easier too. Frozen fruits and vegetables Although they often get a bad reputation, frozen fruit and veg are usually prepared and frozen within several hours of being picked, which means they retain the majority of their micronutrients and antioxidants. That can make them a better nutritional choice than foods that have been stored at ambient temperatures. Plus, they’re usually already peeled and chopped so are great for speedy supper prep! During the defrosting process some produce can lose it’s texture, so aren’t great for all dishes, but any casseroles, stews etc are ideal.
some tinned vegetables really do lose their texture so aren’t very nice to eat. Some of the less heat stable nutrients like vitamins C and E, as well as some beneficial fatty acids are also lost during the canning process, so although they do still count as part of your 5 a day, they aren’t quite as nutritious as their frozen or fresh counterparts. Whilst eating locally seasonally is better for the environment, it isn’t always possible to get the variety of nutrition you need for optimal health from that kind of diet. Rather than putting any hard and fast rules in place about exactly what to eat and when, it’s more about choosing locally seasonal where possible, then using globally seasonal, frozen and tinned fruits and vegetables to ensure you’re still getting that all- important variety in your weekly diet. Although eating seasonally seems to be a fairly polarising discussion in a lot of online spaces, as per most things in nutrition, moderation is usually the key!
Tinned fruits and vegetables
Even tinned fruit and veg can be really useful to supplement fresh foods, and some of the antioxidants can actually be enhanced by the canning process, for example, the lycopene in tinned tomatoes. Tinned lentils and beans are also a great way to add more fibre and variety into your diet; they’re infinitely less faff from a tin than prepared from dry, and are also a lot easier to digest. If you have a slightly sensitive tummy, or are new to eating beans and pulses, make sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly until the water runs clear and isn’t bubbly any more. That removes a specific type of fibre that contributes to gas and bloating, and makes them a lot more comfortable to digest. The only things to watch out for with tinned fruit is that they are canned in juice rather than syrup to avoid excess sugar, and important variety in your weekly diet.
Sophie Pelham-Burn
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