Fruits and vegetables are nutritious parts of everybody’s diet providing vitamins, mineral and fiber. But do fresh, frozen or canned offer the most nutrients? As Dr. Connie Schneider explains, the answer may surprise you.

Fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables may be nutritionally similar. The difference lies in how they make it to your plate.

Fresh

It’s true, fresh fruits and vegetables, direct from harvest, are highest in nutrients.  But while fresh can be best, remember, nutrients can be lost through storage and cooking. In fact, by the time most fresh fruits and vegetables get to the grocery store, they've been in transit for up to two weeks. So, you’ll want to eat them quickly. Also, shop at your local farmer’s market. You can get the maximum amount of nutrients by eating fresh fruits and veggies as soon as possible. The best way to cook produce is raw or lightly steamed. Vegetables cooked for long periods of time in large amounts of liquid lose much of their nutritional value.

Frozen

Frozen items are acceptable nutritional alternatives. They are frozen immediately upon harvest, at their peak, packing lots of nutrients. Foods which are not frozen properly can lose nutrients. You will see large ice crystals, a sign of thawing and re-freezing. A good tip:  frozen foods should typically be consumed within six months of freezing.

Canned

Similar to freezing, canning seals in the nutrients of the produce directly after harvest. While most canned products may lose nutrients during the canning process, the nutrients are stable during storage, due to a lack of oxygen.  But be mindful of the added salt in canned vegetables and added sugars in canned fruits. Choose canned vegetables with “no” or “low” sodium and fruits canned in their own juices instead of heavy syrup.

The key is any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables.  So teach your children to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day whether they are fresh, frozen, or canned.