Are frozen fruits healthy?

Should you swap fresh fruits with the frozen ones?

By: Tania Tarafdar | | Updated: May 29, 2017 9:18 am

From peaches, strawberries, blueberries, strawberries and papaya you will find a variety of frozen fruits in the supermarket or the grocery store. But before you make these frozen fruits a staple on your dining table, it is important that you know about its nutrient content and calorie count. Find out from nutritionist Aditi Rampal if it can be a good idea to swap fresh fruits with the frozen ones.

What is the technique of freezing fruits?
Freezing fruit is typically a multiple-step process. First, manufacturers wash the fruit, and then they coat the fruit with a chemical compound such as ascorbic acid that prevents the enzymes in the fruit from continuing to ripen. Then they use the flash-freezing process which quickly freezes the product without damaging it. Here are 6 frozen fruits and vegetables that are healthy.

Do fruits retain the nutrients after freezing?
After the freezing process, fruits retain the majority of the nutrients however sometimes the fruits may experience loss of vitamin C. A cup of fresh strawberries will contain 84mg of vitamin C, a cup of frozen strawberries will contain 61mg of vitamin C.

Do frozen fruits contain many calories?
Some manufacturers also use an artificial sweetener to sweeten the fruit which adds to the number of calories in the fruit. For example, a cup of fresh strawberries has 46 calories, and 7g of natural sugar, a cup of frozen unsweetened strawberries contain 52 calories with 7g naturally occurring sugar and a cup of frozen sweetened calories can contain up to 75 calories. Also, find out the number of calories in dry fruits.

Tip:
Before picking up a container of frozen fruits, read the label to make sure that there is no added sugar. One cup of frozen blueberries with no added sugar will contain around 79 calories, and a cup of sweetened frozen blueberries will contain as much as 186 calories. If you enjoy eating sweet fruits, make sure you get your hands on the fresh produce.

Bottom line– While there is hardly any difference in the nutrient content, frozen fruits can be slightly high when it comes to number of calories.

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Image source: Shutterstock Images

Published : May 18, 2017 2:24 pm | Updated:May 29, 2017 9:18 am

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