Bitter experience: why I buy frozen fruits and vegetables instead of fresh ones

It is much more difficult to get vitamins from fruits and vegetables in winter than in summer. Frozen fruits clearly lose their appeal compared to fresh ones. All those glossy fruits and berries are somehow especially attractive in winter. But is there any benefit behind the pretty picture? Our author Anna Murashova shared her bitter experience of being poisoned by artificial strawberries.

autor rubriigis Elustiil

You should not be Snow White, who fell for a beautiful apple.

It should be understood that it is difficult to grow berries, fruits and vegetables out of season in greenhouse conditions without adding synthetic substances harmful to health. As well as to keep the freshness of fruits during transportation.

Of course, the manufacturer does not pursue the goal of poisoning the consumer. There is demand – there is supply. But the presence of pesticides in products that can cause poisoning is unfortunately inevitable.

I, too, have experienced this lesson from beautiful berries

“Showing everyone on social media that you’re spoiling yourself with summer delicacies in the cold winter is a huge temptation. A half-pound of fresh strawberries in February became my “poisoned apple.” An overabundance of pesticides led to poisoning and a high fever.

For a week I couldn’t think about not only the ill-fated berries, but food in general. I had plenty of time to study the topic of the harm of “plastic fruit”. But I found a better way to enjoy the taste of my favorite berries without the accompaniment of a week’s sick leave!”

Why I started buying frozen vegetables, berries and fruits instead of fresh ones

“Until now, many people think that frozen fruits, berries and vegetables don’t have any goodness left in them. But with shock freezing, berries, fruits and vegetables grown in the summer, retain all the useful properties and vitamins for a long time.

From berries in winter it is better to give preference to frozen strawberries, cherries or raspberries. And from fruits, choose apricots, peaches and grapes.

Vegetables that even after freezing retain their flavor and essential microelements: broccoli, green beans, carrots and bell peppers.

The most effective way to preserve the benefits of vitamins is blast freezing. Foods succumb to -60°C degrees in a short period of time, but it is difficult to do this at home.”

There’s a reason grandmothers used to roll up jam for the winter

“Despite the large amount of sugar and heat treatment, the berries retain many useful properties. Natural raspberry jam, which many people like to use as a cure for colds, really contains a lot of antioxidants, vitamins A, as well as calcium, magnesium and iron.

Many restaurants for the winter period stop adding fresh berries to desserts and replace them with jam or jam in order to reduce the harm to visitors. But the benefit will be only if the dessert is consumed in small quantities.”

Toitumisnõustaja arvamus

REX healthy food brand expert, nutritionist, nutritionist with more than 15 years of experience

The opinion that it is better to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables in season is absolutely correct. The fact is that products that have reached their physical maturity, contain the maximum of useful substances – vitamins and trace elements. And if at the beginning of winter we can still find them on the shelves, then by spring there are almost none left.

Fruits and berries, which we can see in winter on the shelves, are very different from seasonal not only in the concentration of trace elements and vitamins, but also in the amount of esters. It is because of their low content that they can lack flavor and be tasteless.

In addition, in most cases they are plucked before they are ripe and before they have time to gain vitamins, antioxidants and other beneficial substances. Plus they are transported and stored – and this is an additional loss of nutrients.

To preserve the maximum health benefits in seasonal fruits, berries and vegetables, they can be prepared for the winter.

There are two ways to preserve the preparations, which allow you to preserve and even multiply the useful properties

Fermentation. This is a fairly simple process involving lactic acid bacteria, which have a beneficial effect on the flora and digestion.

This method of preparation allows you to strengthen the useful properties of the product, improve the flavor and extend the shelf life. The most famous fermented product is sauerkraut and pickled apples.

Blast freezing. Thanks to it, vegetables, berries and fruits retain the maximum of useful substances. But only if all the rules of freezing are observed. An important aspect here is the temperature regime.

Vegetables and fruits should not defrost in the process of transportation and storage, so frozen berries in the countryside are best transported in a cooler bag.

In addition, fruits and vegetables that go into freezing are torn in their physical maturity, which means that they contain the maximum of useful substances, and losses are minimal. They are also convenient to use.

Therefore, in winter it is better to give preference to frozen vegetables, berries and fruits. Let them not be so beautiful, but definitely more useful.