SARAH DI LORENZO: Do fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables have the best nutrition?

Fresh or frozen? What really is the best for our health?

There is a general consensus that fresh is better than frozen but is this really the case?

Frozen produce is picked when it is at its peak ripeness but we do know some nutrients can be lost during the process.

Plus how long can you keep frozen produce? Something else to consider is fresh produce can spoil quickly.

Fruit and vegetables are key to a healthy diet, they are full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals all of which are essential for our health and lowering our risk of disease.

When you are looking for certain fruit or vegetables they can be out of season so frozen varieties can be a good alternative.

The choice between fresh and frozen is completely individual.

Considerations include how many people are you cooking for, how often you can get fresh produce, does your work life means frozen vegetables are more convenient and what is your budget.

Taste and texture plus avoiding food waste are also big factors.

For many people who live alone or work long hours, they may prefer the convenience of frozen vegetables as well to avoid waste.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are picked before they ripen, allowing them time to ripen during transportation.

Ripening is where the antioxidants, vitamins minerals and minerals develop.

Depending on what the produce is and where it is going will determine how it is stored, preserved and distributed.

Much of this produce would not reach the supermarket for at least three days and will be on display for another three days.

Some produce such as apples and oranges can go into controlled storage for months depending on where it is being shipped to.

Fresh produce starts to lose nutrients once harvested so consuming as soon as possible is the best course of action.

I always tell my patients to plan their meals and buy enough fresh produce for three days only.

In contrast, frozen fruits and vegetables will be picked when at their peak ripeness which is when they are full of nutrients.

In the harvesting process, they are cut, and washed, and some will be blanched and frozen within hours.

The freezing process retains nutrients but long-time freezing will see these nutrients diminish.

Some farmers may blanch produce that can cause a greater loss of nutrients.

Frozen fruit is not blanched, but produce that is blanched can see a nutrient loss of around 50 per cent.

So which is better for you?

Frozen is nutritionally very similar to fresh, both lose nutrients over time, fresh a lot faster which is why you should only buy what you need.

Sometimes buying a mix of frozen and fresh is also a good option.

Frozen vegetables can be great for bigger dishes like stir fry meals and frozen fruit for smoothies gives the smoothie a creamy texture, whereas fresh is great for snacking on and in-season fruit is incredibly delicious!

When it comes to purchasing frozen or fresh I encourage you to do what is best for you, the more fruit and vegetables in your diet the better.

Currently, 96 per cent of Australians are not meeting the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

I also encourage you to consider learning how to eat fruit and vegetables when they are in season.

Not only are you giving your body what it needs at that time of year, for example, citrus to support immunity in winter and melon to hydrate you in summer, but also consider that you are eating food that is ripe, you are supporting local farms, minimal transportation and they are cheap!!!!

The perfect solution is seasonal eating, frozen as backup and for certain recipes, and buy enough fresh for a few days.