8 Fruits, Berries, and Vegetables You Should Always Buy Frozen, Not Fresh

Fresh carrots can be purchased at the store year-round, but frozen carrots have been shown to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that converts to vitamin A when eaten, which helps to maintain eye health and the functioning of the immune system.

Green peas are delicious, but there’s a catch: As chef, TV personality and author Nathan Lyon explains, fresh peas lose their flavor very quickly, in just a week. Very often transportation takes longer, so it is better to buy a vegetable subject to rapid freezing, which retains all its properties, at maximum maturity and nutritional value.

It’s hard to argue that few things beat the farmer’s market corn you’ll eat the same day you pick it. But, Lyon explains, in most cases there is much more time between these two events, so it’s better to take frozen beans at the right time. Additionally, corn has a unique superpower: thanks to its high starch content, it maintains its texture integrity even after thawing.

Fresh broccoli is not hard to find. However, Cassandra explains, this type of cabbage begins to lose beneficial vitamins and minerals after just a few days in the refrigerator, while freezing allows them to be preserved for several months.

Blueberries are a very healthy addition to your diet: they are low in calories and contain more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables. Research conducted at South Dakota State University shows that freezing blueberries makes these powerful substances more available to the human body. The fact is that antioxidants are found in the skin of the berry, and ice crystals, destroying it, facilitate the absorption process.

Read also: Strange taste and empty savings: which vegetables and fruits should not be frozen in summer

Eating more dark leafy greens is always a good idea. But fresh spinach has one major drawback: According to Lyon, it literally spoils in the refrigerator within a few days. Nathan recommends stocking your freezer with frozen spinach – it can be stored this way for up to a year.

As nutritionist Kristen Lorenz explains, cutting fresh mangoes and pineapples can be tedious, but with frozen fruit, all the work is already done for you. And of course the “green pea rule” applies again: due to the long transportation, mangoes and pineapples are picked unripe, while already packaged fruits are “cooked” at the right time of the season.

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