Are frozen vegetables good for you?

MF editorial team

13 Jun 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:02

1/5
How are they prepared?
They are washed in chlorinated water for disinfection. With the exception of organic vegetables that are washed in cold water and vinegar. Both are then bagged in a vaccuum sealed bag where the oxygen is oxidised by filling the bag with nitrogen-enriched gas (80% nitrogen and 20% nitrous carbon dioxide). This is an important process that prolongs the maximum lifespan while inhibiting bacterial growth.
2/5
Do they deteriorate faster than fresh vegetables?
Once the sachet is open, the enzymatic oxidation of the phenolic compounds is much faster. Translation: the skin does not play the role of a 'shield', the salad will brown, the carrots soften and ferment much quicker. It is essential to check if the sachet is not pierced before you buy it, and to consume the vegetables quickly.
3/5
Nutritional advantages
These frozen packages allow us to eat more vegetables that we would not usually eat due to preparation. We benefit from the large range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They contain the same amount of vitamin C as fresh vegetables. We lose much of the nutrients if you leave the vegetables to soak in water for too long. If they are drained too violently, you break the leaves and destroy the source of vitamins. If you've left them in the crisper for too long, they will lose their nutrients as well. The downside to frozen vegetables like frozen food is quite often, they are loaded with MSG, fried onions and fat, they would have also lost their nutrients due to the preservatives.
4/5
Nutritional disadvantages
Certain lines of frozen vegetables like potatoes contain too much glucose syrup. Lettuce bags are quite often missing the outer green leaves that are rich in vitamin A, B and C. Always read the labels properly to know what you are eating.
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Is the word ‘freshly cut’ the same for fruits and vegetables?
No. The 'freshly cut' means 'raw and ready to use' (VCPE), they are ultra fresh or cooked: radishes, carrots, kiwi, fruit skewers, etc. They are washed, peeled, drained and cut at the point of sale and packaged without additives or preservatives.

More and more vegetables and raw vegetables benefit from this convenient packaging. But what are their nutritional benefits?

Thanks to frozen vegetables, we can get all our nutritional needs for a day in a matter of minutes. No need to peel, wash or cut them, simply enjoy.

Developed by INRA in the 1980s, now we have mixed vegetables for cooking, salads and raw vegetables (carrots, leeks, radishes, cabbage, mini corn cobs…) while the rest of the vegetables are part of the so-called ‘fourth range’ after the fresh, canned and frozen.

It is truly a bargain for the 22% of us who prefer to reduce preparation time while cooking. These ‘high tech’ vegetables are also much more expensive than those sold in the the wet market. Nevertheless, 31% of us buy frozen salads once a month and the remaining 15% regularly buys ready-to-eat vegetables.

The salad and all its leaves

Lettuce, mache salad, young shoots or frisee leaves arrive whole at the factory and are cut (excluding the seedlings), washed and rinsed in clean water before they are drained. The ‘mist’ seen in a bag of vegetables is entirely normal.

“The phenomenon is natural and it is not dangerous,” says Tatiana Lamy, head of the frozen food line at Bonduelle Frozen.”These are traces of moisture after washing; the salad is a live product which continues to ‘breathe’ after bagging. “

How to eat them

Make a appetiser: A platter that is low in calories (72kcal/100g) makes for a fresh and healthy snack: baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, pink radishes, cauliflower, celery, etc. Dip them all in two herbed sauces.

Lunch on the go: A new mix that is extra delicious but light (23kcal/100g) comprises of Batavia leaves, red oak, mache (an anti-inflammatory salad with vitamin C and E and Omega 3) and for a note of sweetness and extra antioxidants, raw beetroot.

Thank you to Béatrice de Reynal, co-author of the Secrets de la dermonutrition : bien manger pour être belle! (ed. Vuibert) and to Angélique Houlbert, co-author of Recettes du régime IG (ed. Thierry Souccar)

1. Institut national de la recherche agronomique. 2. Interprofession des fruits et légumes frais. 3. Centre technique interprofessio.nnel des fruits et légumes.

Isabelle Soing

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